Guardian of Godhood
by Rosabell
Summary: Semi-AU Before the Qin Dynasty Clow and his guardians visited China to create the Void, where they meet a blind, amber-eyed child of great magical power and strong will, despite great suffering. Their meeting changes the lives of all...
1. Chapter 1

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 1

The smell of war was in the air. The different kingdoms of the Zhou Dynasty had been battling each other for years now, and troops and civilians alike had been putting all their might into swallowing others so they themselves are not destroyed. Even so, there was a naturalness to all this, a rugged wildness that Nature liked; the lands were fertile, happy to provide for the armies all the supplies they needed, and the winds sang of great victories and great heroes to come from this time of turmoil.

" This is China." Clow said to his guardians. " Of course, you cannot recognize it now. This is shortly before it will be China. Although, you come across this scenery often enough."

" Not too impressive." Kero glanced at the mountains.

" You were born here," Yue said to Kero, puzzled.

" Does not mean I have to be impressed!"

" No one asks you to be impressed, my dear," Clow turned back around. " We are here on business."

" I still do not understand why we must journey halfway across the world for a single card." Kero grumbled. " You have fifty-two cards already. That is the standard deck."

" Ah, yes, but standard decks have jokers, and I require one." Clow replied. " Not to mention, the people here know best the importance of balance, something that the Romans and Greeks lacked. I need a different style."

" Where are we headed?" Yue asked his master. " You mentioned there were people waiting for us."

" There are." Clow pointed. " Look."

Up on the hill, silhouettes appeared. The sun was behind them, casting their faces into shadow, but Clow and his guardians were well lit. They waved, recognizing the trio. Clow held up his hand in acknowledgment, and the two groups started making their way to each other.

" Well met, Master Li," The man who appeared to be the leader greeted. The name 'Reed' had translated to 'Li' despite the interpretation spell, which was fine by Clow. " I am Mian Teng."

" Well met, Master Mian." Clow greeted.

" Please, our village is this way." Mian gestured to invite Clow to follow. Clow nodded to acknowledge.

" I knew your mother well." Mian said as they walked. " She was one of the Qin. A very high-spirited girl as a child. She truly is the descendant of her forefathers–rode horses faster than any man."

Clow smiled a little. The Qin Dynasty will be thus named because that was exactly what the people were called; Qin. They were a racial group that used to keep the stables for the lords of the Zhou Dynasty. 

Later on, as payment for their good services, the sovereign gave them their own land, and thus set up a foundation for a Qin Kingdom, which will, if history is correct, gradually expand to unite all of China under one empire for the first time. It was interesting to know that his mother was one of these people, and that she carried in her blood their earlier legacy.

" She was the flower of her people." Mian continued. " It is sad that we are torn like this, but I hear it will ultimately be for the better."

" I have heard the same." Clow admitted.

" You come during unrestful times, Master Clow." Mian smiled good-naturedly. " Sadly, we may not be as good hosts as one could hope for."

" Not at all." Clow raised his hand. " I regret having to add trouble to your people."

" Good grief." Kero grumbled to Yue. " How come every time we visit someone they always have exchanges like that?"

" Something about courtesy." Yue was equally confused, but less out-spoken than Kero.

" I am afraid we are scheduled to defend against an attack today." Mian told Clow. " It should be no trouble for you, I hope, but we must attack, or the Qin will attack us."

Clow nodded. " I am sorry for our delayed arrival."

" Not at all." Mian laughed. " 'Tis merely our services would be wanting. There it is." He gestured. " We have set up a hut for you and your guardians."

Clow glanced at the hut. " Thank you." He said, a little surprised. " That will do very well. Thank you!"

" Ah," Mian laughed again.

Kero sniffed the air. " Someone's cooking something."

" Kerberus," Yue warned, " I doubt Master Clow will appreciate that right now."

" I was just saying!"

" Your guardians appear to be hungry." Mian grinned at the sun guardian.

Clow laughed bashfully. " I am afraid Kero has learned quite an appetite after his creation."

" Not a problem. We are scheduled to eat anyhow." Mian turned to the guardians. " Will you be joining us?"

" Of course." Kero pounced forward. Yue declined, a little more graciously.

Clow had, as he said, been delayed by matters of business in Rome. He had been scheduled to arrive a whole month ago, but he was forced to send a missive to Mian with apologies for his impending lateness. As such, now that he had arrived, the village was bustling with activity for the upcoming battle. They were to convene out in the fields where Clow had originally materialized with his guardians, and the village, formerly of only about sixty people, had crowded with soldiers and horses and carriages, men sharpening their swords made of iron, stringing their bows, cleaning their horses and picking at the horseshoes. Great wagons of supplies had arrived and huge fires were lit, with meals cooking over them. It was all incredibly loud and noisy.

The villagers and the troops paid no attention to Kero, for at this day and age magic was still widely public. The cook gave Kero a look of irritation before serving him some boar. Kero dug in with relish.

A little embarrassed, Clow said to Mian, " Perhaps I can be of service in this battle."

Mian raised his eyebrows, but smiled instantly. " Ah, Master Li, you have no idea how grateful we would be. Your cards are infamous for their power and might."

Clow smiled back, glancing at Kero. " Unfortunately I can only help so long as it does not interfere with my work."

" Of course, of course." Mian patted his shoulder. " You are a guest here, Master Li."

" Yue you should really try this." Kero said to his fellow guardian.

" No thank you." Yue declined. " I think you are eating enough for the both of us."

" Your loss." Kero turned his attention back to the meat.

" Their weapons are strangely superior, though they are made of copper, which is softer than iron." Mian was telling Clow. " And they have managed to construct devices very much like bows, but they fire arrows with greater strength and distance and greater accuracy. It was said they somehow invented a system where they can make many weapons of the same exact size and shape."

" Peculiar." Clow blinked. He remembered hearing stories of mass production in the east, but he had never believed them.

" In any case, they bested two kingdoms already, with the mix of strategy and technology." Mian said. " Right now, only magic is on our side."

" Magic, and will." Clow corrected.

" Aye." Mian agreed. " But if fate plays out, the best we can hope for is to avoid annihilation. Our lord will not surrender based on 'prophetic mutterings', as he calls them."

" To each his own then." Clow replied. " Your lord has his reasons. Far be it, for it to be known through the land and time that a lord surrendered because someone told him to. He would be laughingstock."

" True, dishonor is worse than death." Mian nodded. " And honor has a way of asserting itself in history." He then brightened. " Come have a drink with me, Master Li. The day is still light, and we do not attack until nightfall; there are hours yet."

" I will be delighted to." Clow inclined his head, leaving the guardians to their own devices.

oO

Night brought snow, white and clear. The moon shone its rays on the crystals and made them sparkle like stardust. Though the ground was too warm for the snow to stick, the grasses were covered with light frost, and the air smelled of ice and the coming winter.

Yue took to the skies, sailing in lazy circles about the disbanding camp. He wanted to feel the Asian wind, and decided that it did not feel all that different from European wind, though the general atmosphere seemed strange to him. Below, Kero enjoyed the attentions of the more amiable soldiers, who found him fascinating.

" Clear air." Mian told Clow. " Not the best way to approach. However, to create fog would warn them, and perhaps this clear air is a good omen."

" The darkness should do." Clow replied. " It has done for most."

" Ah, but we are dealing with a superior army."

" Nevertheless." Clow smiled. " You never expected an easy battle."

" That is true."

It was a lovely night, and they marched. Clow called Yue down, so that the guardian would not alert the opposing army. Kero sniffed the air, not understanding why everyone seemed so tense and quiet, and grew uneasy. He scampered forward in the snow and watched the lines from the front. Clow decided to let him do that for now; the guardian wanted to learn about the world, just as Yue had. Kero spent most of the march running circles in the front and around the front lines. He sniffed at the banners and even took to the air at one point. Clow quickly called him down.

" Are we really going to fight with them, Master?" Yue asked, worried.

" If we have to." Clow replied. " I owe Master Mian that much."

" Do they have sorcerers too?"

" Perhaps."

Yue contemplated on this.

" Mostly, however, we attack from behind." Clow replied. " There is no need for us to head to the front. Those are for the soldiers. We attack from long range. Which means you do not race to the front."

" I shoot?" Yue asked, referring to his arrow.

" Yes." Clow nodded. " You may. And you may use your forcefield. But I do not want you acting further. You are still young and growing, as is Kerberus."

Kero ran back. " This is boring." The guardian complained. " All we're doing is walking."

The men chuckled at this.

" Behave, Kero." Clow told him.

" I am! What did I do?"

" Maybe you should stay close." Yue was very uneasy. " There might be killing involved."

" Killing?"

" There will be." Another reason why Clow did not want Yue to race in the front. " But this is what happens in war. People die."

" Wars are stupid then." Kero huffed, but kept close to Yue. He was nervous too.

Clow reached over and rubbed Kero's head in reassurance.

Hours later, the camp loomed. Soldiers were standing at the fences with diligent attention.

Mian fired the first spell, both to attack and to announce the start of the battle. Suddenly, everyone started yelling, a huge roar as they swept toward the camp. Kero darted behind Yue and Clow in panic, and Yue grabbed his master's arm, frightened. Clow stopped, as did the other sorcerers, as the warriors charge forward. From behind, the drummers began pounding on their drums. They were not to stop until either a retreating horn was blown or the battle was won.

The camp instantly sprang into action. Torches were lit, and arrows began flying, all within minutes of their arrival. Clow was impressed. Using the Shield, he created a barrier for all of the sorcerers who remained behind. Yue and Kero gazed, amazed, at the scene in front of them, dark hordes fighting each other, a mess of armor and metal blades. The sorcerers on their side began to fire spells.

Clow took his time examining the situation.

" I shoot?" Yue asked a few minutes later.

" No." Clow shook his head. " I doubt they need us." The shield was help enough, it seemed. He could not see very well, but it looked like the warriors were holding their own.

Suddenly, Mian appeared beside him.

" There!" He pointed, hurriedly. " That tent! There is someone there with great magic! Our soldiers are going in and not coming out!"

" Hm?" Clow looked in that direction. The tent was fairly remote and removed from the rest of the camp. " Yue, Kerberus!" He ordered, " Head over there and take a look. Be careful!"

The guardians, though nervous, obeyed readily. Clow watched anxiously as they disappeared into the tent. He sensed what Mian was talking about, now that his attention was drawn there. There was a strong magical aura, laced with desperation. He sensed spells being fired at Kero and Yue, and though neither took notable damage, he realized, to his chagrin, that neither was whoever owned the tent.

" If I leave the shields will drop!" He warned Mian.

" I will create a force field! Go tend to your guardians!" Mian shouted back. " Ready?"

Clow dropped the shield as Mian summoned his own. He took off on a run toward the tent. As he approached the entrance, Yue appeared at the front.

" Master!" The guardian cried, " There is a boy here!"

" What?" Not understanding, Clow rushed inside. Yue grabbed him and pulled him out of the way just as a spell nearly collided with him. Slightly dazed, Clow looked up to see who cast the spell.

It was a child, as Yue had said. He could not be more than ten years old, with eyes that gleamed a bright amber and long brown hair caked with dirt. The child was naked and bleeding–his inner thighs were coated with blood. He was barely standing; his legs trembled visibly under his weight and he looked like he would fall over any minute.

" Holy Zeus!" Clow exclaimed, before having to duck as the child shot another spell at him. The spell was brutally powerful, fueled by fear and desperation. It collided with the tent flap and set it on fire.

Choking at the sudden smoke, Clow stumbled on the bodies lying on the ground–he would not be surprised if the boy was responsible, given what he had just seen. " Put it out!" He ordered Yue, who obeyed, pouring water over the flap with the Rain card. Clow then turned his attention back to the child. The boy was shaking, but his face was a blank mask. He was no longer casting spells. Instead, he was poised in a ready position, his eyes staring straight ahead, through Clow, and he seemed to be waiting, to be listening.

_Is the boy possessed? _Clow wondered, checking the aura for any signs. It did not seem so. Following his investigation, he sensed the child doing the same in return, sensing him, then drawing back, distrusting. There was terror, bordering on hysteria, vibrating in the child's greenish aura, but the boy's composure was so perfect nothing gave it away except the trembling, which was also due to exhaustion.

The war drums seemed to increase in volume outside, but Clow focused on the blood coating the child's legs, wondering where it came from. As his eyes moved to the source, he physically gagged.

Kero began to charge, face contorting into a fearsome growl, but Clow held out a hand, instantly stopping the guardian. He held his other hand out to restrain Yue as well.

" Master?" Kero looked up, confused.

_He was raped. _Clow could barely stand to look. _They shredded him. How could this child even stand, let alone cast spells?_

" Young one," The sorcerer moved forward slowly. The boy's trembling increased, but all of his attention was focused on remaining upright–he could no longer move away. " Young one, can you understand me?"

Of course not. There was no time to cast an interpretation spell; Clow had not realized he would need one. The boy did not respond. Clow continued to approach. The boy cast a half-hearted spell, which Clow blocked easily, and then collapsed to the side. At this, Clow wasted no time hurrying to him.

The boy was in so much pain he was frothing at the mouth, but had uttered not a single sound. Nor did he ever make any noise during the entire meeting. His magic drained, he raised his hands in a defensive gesture as Clow knelt by him, and gasped shudderingly as the man lifted his bleeding body.

" Oh Zeus," Clow was afraid to turn the boy around and see just how damaged he was. " Yue, help me get my cloak off."

" What are you going to do?" Kero asked as Yue hurriedly obeyed.

Clow did not answer; he did not have to. With quick movements, knowing that gentleness would matter little at this point, he wrapped the boy's naked body up. Pale with pain, the boy passed out.

" He's not one of them." Clow told his guardians. " The Qin would not treat one of their own like this. Not during times like these."

Suddenly, Yue pointed. " Master, look!"

Clow glanced down. On the boy's forehead was some kind of birthmark, except it was in the shape of a strange symbol, and looked like a tattoo.

" What the..." The boy did not have that before, did he? " He must have been using a concealment spell. It must have undone itself when he fainted." At the moment, the child needed healing, as fast as possible. There was nothing to be done about the mark. To protect the boy in case there was a good reason for him to conceal it, Clow quickly cast a concealment spell of his own. He then carried the small body out into the snow.

Mian dropped the forcefield as Clow joined the group. " What's that?" He asked.

" Kid." Clow replied. " Had great magical power, but was wounded by the Qin. No doubt traumatized."

Mian blinked. " _He _was responsible for that?" He pointed at the tent.

" Hardly knew what he was doing, I expect." Clow replied. " They tortured him."

Mian clucked sympathetically. " I see."

Clow reactivated the Shield Card and sat down, cradling the boy in his lap. Yue and Kero crouched beside him.

" Who is he?" Yue asked.

" What are we going to do?" Kero asked.

Clow shook his head at both questions. He took the boy's head between his hands and focused on the child's rapidly fading aura. The boy had overexerted himself and Clow could feel the child slowly losing life. He had to stop the bleeding before the child dies on him.

The bleeding refused to stop for a long time, and by the time Clow did succeed in finally stabilizing the boy, it was when Mian tapped him on the shoulder and gestured at the battlefield, now calm. The first victory over the Qin in months.


	2. Chapter 2

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 2

Enraged by the atrocity, Clow spent the next day and night tending to the boy's wounds, stitching the shredded flesh and applying healing balms. The boy nearly woke a few times during the operation, but Clow simply used the Sleep card. The boy was so dearly in need of rest he dropped instantly to almost comatose levels each time Clow used the spell.

Yue and Kerberus kept asking him who the boy was. So far the guardians did not understand that Clow was not omniscient, and could not seem to accept that Clow did not know the identity of the child. As for the boy himself, Clow had not allowed him to wake during his entire stay, and in sleep he was as silent as he had been when they met.

Clow spent about four hours every day in healing meditation with the boy. There were so many places that required tending, but the most injured one seemed to drown out everything else, and Clow focused on that, deciding to bypass everything else, and let them heal on their own. Eventually, he was able to heal the boy enough that he felt safe allowing the boy to wake, and about a week later, one afternoon, as he sat by the child's side, the boy opened his eyes.

He did not look drowsy. It was a sharp wakening, like he had just remembered something he had to do and must jump up to accomplish it. Clow nearly raised a hand to keep the boy down, half thinking the child was going to move.

But the child did not. For a long time he simply lay there, with his eyes open. Clow waited for the amber orbs to turn to him. They never did.

Then the boy spoke, still staring ahead. " Where am I?"

Clow hesitated. " You are at the village of the Wen Kingdom."

" What do you want?"

Strange question from a ten-year-old, actually. Clow was a little stumped. " What makes you think I want anything?"

" Do not play with me." The boy spat vehemently. All this time he had still been staring straight ahead, his aura a whirlwind of terror. " You sorcerers are all alike. I did not give in before, I will not now."

_Give in..._did he mean the rape?

" Child," Clow tried again, " You will not be harmed here."

The boy laughed bitterly, only a sob outwardly betraying his hysteria. " That is what they always say. And it is always a lie."

" It is not a lie now." Clow touched his hand. The boy flinched, scaring Clow as well.

" What do you want?!" The boy's voice became high and shrill with fear. " I will not give you the location! So you can just give up now!"

_What? _" Is that..." Clow hesitated, " Is that why they...hurt you, child? To get the location...?"

The boy started trembling, his little face once again white as the blood left his cheeks. " Are you mocking me?" He snapped, like a caged animal. " Because if you are getting any ideas, let me tell you first: it _did not work._"

" I can see that." Clow replied patiently. He was grateful he had been wise enough to cover up the boy's birthmark now; perhaps that birthmark had something to do with whatever location the Qin sorcerers were trying to get out of him. " And I promised you already. You will not be harmed." He stood, then inclined his head, puzzled. " What is wrong with your eyes?"

Startled, the boy's eyes flickered in his direction, but aimed at his torso. " Nothing is wrong with them." He said vehemently.

Clow blinked in realization. " You are blind."

The boy was silent. There was no use denying that.

Clow heaved a sigh. This was going to be difficult. " Are you hungry, little one?"

" Go to hell!"

Seeing there was no use reasoning with him, Clow took the initiative and called out for the servants to bring in some light broth. The boy had not ingested anything in a week, with only Clow's magic feeding his body. He needed something light. As he turned around, he saw the boy's forehead was covered with sweat. He had tried to move.

" You are not completely healed yet." Clow told him. " You still need to rest."

Unable to speak from the pain, the child only writhed a little, and tears of despair pooled at his eyes and trickled down his pale cheeks. When Clow brushed them away, the boy flinched violently.

" Do not touch me!" He cried out, tensing, and Clow could sense his magic concentrating itself, preparing to cast a spell.

" Easy." The older sorcerer hushed. " I will not touch you. Do not drain yourself."

The boy seemed to consider him for a while, and Clow sensed his aura relaxing slightly. Clow then moved away to accept the bowl of broth from the servant, who bowed and backed away. He then brought the bowl to the boy.

" Here." Clow set the bowl on the table and then moved to stand in front of the boy's cot. " Can you sit up?"

Of course not. The child could barely move still.

" Will you let me help you?"

" I do not want your poison."

" You have to eat." Clow tried to reason with him again. " You have not eaten in a week, at least. I can continue supplying you magic, but that will not help you heal fast enough. You want to get better, do you not?"

" You eat it first." The boy demanded adamantly. " And I will know if you try anything."

No doubt. The boy could probably sense Clow's aura as well as Clow could sense his. It explained how the boy knew he was there, although Clow's own breathing might have given it away to the blind. He complied. The broth was somewhat tasteless, but that was exactly what he meant by light broth, and it was all the boy could safely have at this point. " There." He said. " And I place the bowl here. Will you let me help you?"

" Do not think just because you are kind to me now I am going to give you anything."

" I am not asking for anything in return." Clow wondered if perhaps he should use a different approach. " My task is to ensure you recover to full health."

The boy stiffened at his words, but ironically, seemed to accept them more easily. At his silent assent, Clow slid his hand under the boy's body. The child freaked again, but bravely bore the touch. Clow slowly sat him up, and awkwardly reached over the boy with his other arm to adjust the pillows so the he could lean back comfortably.

The boy gritted his teeth in pain. Clow reached for the broth. He allowed the boy to take it and sip from the bowl directly.

" What is your name?" Clow asked.

" What does it matter?"

" I would like to know what to call you. It would make things easier."

The boy huffed in contempt. " What is _your _name?" He asked challengingly.

Clow felt pity at this evidence of long suffering. " My name is Clow Reed." He said. " I come from the West, where the sun sets."

Again, the boy surprised him. " Clow Reed." He lowered the bowl a little, and Clow caught the bowl before the child's hands faltered. There was a new dread in the young, green aura now. " Clow Reed." The child repeated. He was silent for a moment. " No wonder."

Surprised that his reputation preceded him this much, Clow inclined his head. " You know of me?" He asked.

" The half-breed." The boy replied. " Yes, I have heard of you. They say you weild the power of the world."

Really? " That is flattering, but I cannot accept such a compliment. I am merely capable of using both Oriental and Western magic."

" What more do you want?" The boy's eyes managed to be piercing, despite their lack of focus. " Immortality is a curse as well as a blessing."

Confounded yet again, Clow was forced to be silent.

" You do not know what I mean." The boy realized. " Huh. So you are not after me then."

" Why would I be after you?"

Instantly, Clow noticed the boy regretting his words. " I am not going to give you a reason, Master Li." Funny how they always translated to 'Li'.

" I can always find out on my own." Clow told the boy. " I have good connections, if that was what you meant by 'power of the world'."

" Perhaps. And I would be in the same position I started with. But I will be damned if I help you along."

" Easy." Clow soothed. " I did not say that to be threatening. I merely wish to help you."

" Ha!" The boy barked a bitter laugh, tears streaming down his face. " I am beyond help now." He started trembling. " They always lie. And they do something to me–I do not know what they did to me. You saw. What did they do to me?"

Saddened by these words, Clow could only listen as the boy began to hyperventilate. " I know they did something to me. They kept threatening, and after everything that has happened, I thought, how much worse could it get? But it was worse, and they would not tell me what they were doing." His voice had crescendoed, but then diminished again towards the end. He swallowed thickly, blinking a tear onto his cheek, and fell silent.

Silence fell for a time.

Clow resisted wiping the boy's cheek. " What is your name?" He asked gently.

The child inhaled shakily. " I do not know." He said finally. " They called me Syaoran."

" Who?"

" The brothers at the temple."

" I see." Clow actually did not understand, but at least he had a name now. " Syaoran, you have my word: I will help you recover. I do not want anything from you, and I will not harm you in any way."

" How much is your word worth, Master Li?" Syaoran sneered. " They always say it like it _means _anything."

" I pledge my very magic." Clow vowed. " If I lie, may thunder strike me down." A phrase they often used in China, and, from accounts, thunder actually strikes those who break their oaths.

Syaoran, in any case, seemed assured by this. Still, the boy's latent fear must make itself noticed. " Even if you lie, it would do you no good. I will not give you anything."

Clow stood. He had said what he needed to say. He handed the bowl back to Syaoran, who started sipping it. " The table is over here." He used a bit of aura to mark it. " You should get some rest when you are done."

oO

Though Clow made sure to tell Kero and Yue to be careful around the boy, the two guardians failed to comprehend how getting tortured in any way translated into mental trauma. They felt once the boy had recovered it should all be over and everything would go back to normal, and had no understanding of mental scars. As a result, Clow decided it was probably best to just leave them some instructions on what not to do.

" No sudden moves," Clow told Yue and Kero, " And no physical contact. Keep your words low and be patient with him, no matter what he is doing. If you are at a loss, be honest. Treat him as you would a frightened card."

" Is he dangerous?" Kero asked, misunderstanding what Clow meant when he said 'careful'. " Should we restrain him?"

" _No._" Clow emphasized. " It is more that _we_ are dangerous to _him._"

Amazingly, this seemed to clear it up for both of them. " Oh." The two chorused, and proceeded to get very nervous, so Clow had to reassure them that it was alright for them to interact with the boy.

Clow then went to meet with Mian. He wanted to disclose the birthmark, without implicating Syaoran, and the best way is to pretend he had seen it in a dream.

" The birthmark of the Dao Guardians." Mian recognized. " Strange. They are all the way down south."

" Dao Guardians?" Clow blinked. " What are they?"

" Supposedly about thirty years ago, a sorcerer mastered the energies of magic and created the Pills of Immortality." Mian told Clow. " The skill of creating such pills, however, cannot be reused, because it was said the sorcerer mastered eight different elements of the Dao, and when he created these immortal pills, one of those elements was used completely, thus making it impossible to create more pills. For this reason, these pills are extremely rare and extremely valuable. Knowing their worth and their danger, the sorcerer's disciples formed a league, and called themselves the Dao Guardians. They hid the pills and scattered throughout the land to confuse any sorcerers seeking them. Every year, they change posts, with one guarding the actual hidden cache, while the temple trains new Dao Guardians and add more to the league."

" That is confusing." Clow agreed. " I am surprised they did not confuse themselves."

" Perhaps they did." Mian, who had no idea Clow's current charge bore the mark, went on to explain, " About two years ago the Temple of the Guardians was attacked. They say the Qin Lord was the one who led the assault. There were no survivors, which is strange, because the guardians are a formidable force. Perhaps there is yet one alive, or perhaps you are destined to have the pills, if you saw this mark in such a dream."

" I do not know." Clow replied. " I do not wish for immortality."

" That is your wisdom then." Mian looked at the drawing again. He then lit the paper on fire with a candle. " Others are not so wise. You best keep this to yourself, Master Li. There is enough trouble in these lands."

" I have no intention of inviting trouble." Clow assured him.

oO

Syaoran slept after drinking the broth. Nightmares haunted him, visions of dread, apprehension, then cold, pure terror. Yue and Kero, frightened by the boy's screams, hurried to the boy's room in case someone was hurting him.

" What do we do?" Yue asked Kero in a panic. " What is he doing?"

" Why is he yelling like that?" Kero was also confused. He had never seen Clow so unrestful when he slept, and Clow made no mention of nightmares to these two guardians, so neither Kero nor Yue understood what they were.

" Is he being attacked while asleep?"

" We better wake him up if he is!"

Yue reached over, then froze. " But Master said we are not allowed to touch him."

" Well how else are you going to wake him?" Kero pointed out.

Yue struggled internally. The child kept screaming.

" What is he saying?" Kero asked. " 'I will not tell you'?"

" Tell us what?"

" Well, maybe he can explain if we wake him up."

" But we are not allowed to touch him!"

" He is not going to quiet down, you know." Kero flicked his tail anxiously. " Come on! Just a little shake! I am sure it will not do much!"

Yue hesitated, but then quickly took the boy's shoulders. " Wake up!" He urged, shaking the boy a little.

At the physical touch, Syaoran instantly woke, but his blindness prevented him from realizing where he was. With a cry, he uttered a spell and sent it directly to Yue, crashing the guardian into the wall. Bits of straw and dirt fell down.

" Ugh," Yue moaned, not overly hurt, for Syaoran's spell was relatively weak.

" Did you have to do that?" Kero complained.

" Who are you?!" Syaoran cried out hoarsely, blindly turning his face around to listen from all angles. " Who is there?"

" It is just us." Kero got up grumpily. " Master Clow's guardians, who you just abused."

" Guardians?" Syaoran blinked, confused. " Clow Reed has guardians?"

" You bet he does!" Kero nudged Yue's legs. " You alright?"

" Yes." Yue brushed himself off, a little rattled. " I was just trying to wake you so whoever is attacking you in your sleep would stop." He sulked. Then he glared at Kero. " And you said a little touch would not hurt!"

" How was I supposed to know he would try to blow you up?" Kero shot back indignantly. " Besides, Master Clow said he was not dangerous!" He sniffed in Syaoran's direction. " If it were me, I would say he is dangerous, not the other way around!"

Yue turned to look at the boy, noticing his glistening cheeks. " Why are you crying?" He asked innocently, not understanding Syaoran was crying because of the nightmare. " Are you hurt too?" Yue had accidentally released spells of his own, when he was upset. " Did I hurt you?" He asked, worried that Clow Reed's warning of 'no touching' might have such dire consequences.

" He is crying?" Kero was also confounded. " Why are you crying?"

" I am not," Enraged, because Syaoran felt like they were mocking him, he seethed, " Get away from me, you freaks, whatever you are!" His magic was once again poised, ready to release another spell.

" But you are crying..."

" We are not freaks, we are Clow's guardians!"

" He would not create us to be freaks..."

" Get away!" Syaoran shrieked, panicking. " Get away from me!"

Startled, Yue and Kero quickly shuffled out of the room, but watched from the doorway cautiously. Syaoran was breathing quickly, eyes blindly flickering back and forth, but he gradually calmed down a little.

" Are you alright?" Yue asked, remembering his master's instructions to be patient with the boy.

Calming down enough to recognize his magical surroundings, at least, Syaoran took a deep breath and tried to relax. " Who are you?" He asked again.

" I am Yue, Clow's moon guardian." Yue replied, puzzled.

" I am Kerberus." Kero followed. " Clow's sun guardian."

" He is a lion." Yue suddenly remembered Clow mentioned the boy was blind, and that it was like having his eyes permanently closed and hands covering his eyelids, with no way of opening or taking the hands away. " Can you see? You cannot see? Master Clow said you were...blind, whatever that means."

Syaoran took another shuddering breath, mentally going over everything he had heard so far. " No, I cannot see." He frowned. " You are not human either." He noted.

" Well," Yue blinked, " Clow said I am a magical being, but he said I was not sorcerer, and he said I was not male or female so I do not have male or female parts." After completing this awkward sentence in a perfectly practical way, the young moon guardian then added " But he said I was as good as a human, and that if anyone says otherwise to just ignore them. He said that to Kerberus too, which is strange, because Kerberus does not even look human."

With a look of complete bemusement on his face, Syaoran remained still for a moment, before inquiring, " Clow created you?"

" Yes," Kero sniffed. " I smell blood."

" Where is it coming from?" Yue asked.

" From the little thing," referring to Syaoran. Kero nudged Syaoran's legs, " Are you hurt by your own blast?"

Syaoran flinched at the touch, which startled Kero, causing the beast to jump back.

" Kerberus!" Yue remonstrated. " Can we come in?" He asked the boy, even though Kero was already in the room. " Are you alright?"

Syaoran had calmed down by now to think rationally. " When did Clow create you two?"

" Four years ago."

" Five."

" I am younger than Kero."

" Kero?" Syaoran blinked. " Kerberus?"

" Yes." Yue inclined his head. " Why? How old are you?"

Syaoran suddenly laughed. He was getting more comfortable with these two. " I am ten." He said. " Just turned ten. Or maybe it was a while ago, I do not know."

" Master Clow said humans are considered young until they are fourteen." Yue remembered.

" Yes, and even after fourteen they are still considered young, but they are no longer children."

" They are called...adolescents?"

" Young adults."

" Still children to most people."

Morosely, Syaoran said quietly, " I can no longer be a child, whether I am one or not."

" Why?" Yue asked. " Did you do something wrong?"

" Master Clow will take care of you." Kero urged. " Why stop being a child? Being young is fun. Clow said adults have all these responsibilities."

" Ha," Syaoran laughed again. " A four-year-old and a five-year-old." He lifted his hand. " Yue, come here and let me see you."

" I thought you could not see?" The guardian was stumped.

" The blind have their ways of seeing." Syaoran replied. " Unless you are uncomfortable?"

Yue glanced nervously at Kero.

" What are you going to do?" Kero asked.

" Feel his face." Syaoran said simply.

" But Clow Reed said we are not allowed to touch you." Yue protested.

" Really," Syaoran's hand lowered.

" He said we would hurt you."

" Bad."

Syaoran considered this. " I know what he means." He said carefully. " It is alright. Yue? I just want to know what you two look like."

" You can tell by feeling his face?" Kero blinked. " Are you going to feel mine?"

Syaoran smiled. " Perhaps."

Yue knelt by Syaoran's cot, and Syaoran moved his hands till they touched his face, and felt his features the way a blind person feels.

" It is strange." Yue declared.

Syaoran laughed again, amused.

" Can you really tell what he looks like?"

" You have long hair, long eyes and high nose." Syaoran blinked. " I am not sure how to describe you. You are very delicate, but you are a man."

" What about me?" Kero poked his face into Syaoran's hands. " Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me!"

Unlike before, Syaoran did not flinch at the touch. He felt Kero. " You have the head of a lioness." He said. " With a helmet..."

" A lioness?" Kero turned to Yue. " I am a lioness? I thought I was a lion."

" I do not know." Yue shrugged.

" Yue and Kero." Syaoran murmured. " Sorry about earlier."

" Master Clow said you were 'traumatized'."

" Yes, so it is alright."

Syaoran laughed again, wincing this time. " Thank you, you two." If this Clow Reed could create two such fellows, he thought, perhaps he is not like the other sorcerers after all. The thought felt like the most cheerful notion he had ever felt in years.


	3. Chapter 3

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 3

Clow Reed came back to an interesting sight. Syaoran was awake, and Kero was lying over the boy's legs while Yue was curled up next to the boy. Syaoran had stiffened a little when Clow Reed approached, but the guardians, for the first time, made no move to greet him. They were too focused on something other than their master.

" Tell us! Tell us what it is!" Kero urged.

" It is a brush." Syaoran said, eyes still somewhat focused in Clow's direction.

" Jove!" Kero turned around and rapidly jumped off the bed. " Master! He can tell what things are just by feeling them!"

" Kerberus cannot even make hisway to the toilet in the dark." Yue pointed out.

" I was worried you were crushing him earlier." Clow ignored the comments, focusing instead on the scene he had come across.

" Nay, Syaoran said that I was not too heavy."

" Which was surprising, considering the amount you eat."

" You take that back!" Kero snapped at Yue.

" I see you have acquainted yourselves quite well with each other." Clow smiled. If the boy could get along with his guardians, that was encouraging. " Are you hungry, Syaoran?"

" I am!" Kero perked up.

" You need to control your appetite, Kerberus." Clow said to his guardian. " The people here do not have unlimited resources. They are fighting a war, and cannot afford to whet your appetite."

" He can have my share." Syaoran said solemnly.

Appreciating the gesture, Clow told the boy, " Your share will not be enough to fill this one's mouth, I am afraid." Then, to Kero, " I wonder what I should do with you. Your appetite is troubling."

" Oh come on!" Kero sulked. Laughing, Clow rubbed his head, earning a pur. " You and Yue, go ask for some food to be brought. Same as this afternoon."

Yue climbed off where he had been curled up next to Syaoran and the two guardians went out, leaving Clow alone with the boy.

" Like children, they are." Clow commented. " I hope they have not troubled you too much."

" No." Syaoran replied graciously. " They are wonderful creations, Master Li."

He seemed a little calmer in general now. Clow was pleased. " How are you feeling? Better?"

Syaoran nodded. " Thank you."

Clow sat down in the chair Yue probably should have used instead of curling up next to Syaoran. He will talk to the guardian about that later. " I heard about the Dao Temple." He said. " I am sorry if it is true."

Syaoran's face hardened. He said nothing.

" What do you plan on doing after this?"

" Am I free to go?" Syaoran asked with some surprise.

Clow blinked. " Of course you are. You are not a prisoner here."

" You said you had a task."

" It involved healing you. No other purpose." Clow leaned forward. " You are the last guardian?"

The boy said nothing to this. There was a heightened feel of misery in his aura, which was answer enough.

" What happened?" Clow asked.

" You seem to know." The boy spat, eyes glistening vulnerably.

Clow leaned back. Syaoran was right to feel angry; Clow should not force him to relive any memories. " I am sorry."

" I do not need your pity." Syaoran turned away.

" No." Clow replied. " But you need help."

" So you will help me." Syaoran sneered disbelievingly.

" Child," Clow took a deep breath to recall his patience. Right now, Syaoran was hurting more than he could understand, and the only way to deal with the boy is to tolerate his temper. Syaoran, at the moment, had no other real weapon. " I already said I will not harm you, nor do I want anything from you. I am creating a deck of magical cards, to store the forces of magic. These cards are to be passed down, after several thousand years, to a young girl. I have no wish to gain immortality."

Syaoran looked confused. " So," He hesitated, " You will give up the chance at immortality for this girl."

" Yes. Otherwise, why would I give these cards away?"

" You could easily give them away because you have gained immortality."

What, Clow wondered, did this boy go through the past two years? He seemed to be familiar with these promises. Was he played? It was a marvel the child managed to keep the pills still secret after so much intrigue.

" As someone once said," Clow answered softly, " Immortality is both a curse and a blessing."

Syaoran was quiet.

" What will you do when you get better?"

" I will try to go back to the temple." Tears trickled down the pale cheek again. " See if I cannot…bury who I can."

Clow rose. He thought of the child returning, by himself, to a place of death, where his family and friends had once been alive and probably had been slain before his very eyes. " How did you become blind?"

" Why do you want to know?"

" Just wondering if I could help."

Syaoran smiled bitterly. " You cannot. They blinded me after they took me from the temple. Said it was irreversible."

Pity overwhelmed Clow. " That remains to be seen." He said quietly. " I am going to see what is taking Yue and Kero so long."

As he passed the door, he felt more than heard the child succumb to tears. Knowing it was not his place to comfort the boy, at least not yet, Clow walked on, musing sadly. He was not going to let the boy out into the cruel world by himself. It was not safe, and the child had suffered enough. As a foreigner, Clow was going to see what he could do to help. But as long as the boy did not trust him, Clow was not sure how to convince Syaoran to stay with him.

Yue and Kero barged in just as Clow was going to head out.

" We got the soup." Kero announced, as Yue handed the soup over to Clow.

Reminded of what he saw when he first came in, Clow was struck by an inspiration. " Yue," He called, and the young guardian waited as Kero scampered off. " Why not you give this to him? He is comfortable with you two."

Yue frowned. " He is not comfortable with you?" He asked, confused.

Clow smiled. Yue was very clever. " I need to head out." He said. " Keep the boy company."

" Yes Master." Yue seemed excited at the prospect of keeping Syaoran happy, which pleased Clow. The guardian hurried inside as Clow stepped out into the night. Once again, it was snowing, but it was much colder now.

In the hut, Syaoran struggled to calm himself when he sensed Yue enter, but the guardian noticed anyway.

" Are you alright?" Yue asked softly. This was different from earlier, where they had both been attacked by the boy. Now the boy was just sitting there. What happened this time?

Syaoran swallowed and shook his head, meaning to say Yue had nothing to worry about, but the guardian interpreted the movement as a 'no'.

Yue set the bowl on the table. Whenever he felt afraid, or whenever there was something bothering him, Clow would hug him and that always made him feel much better. Learning from example, he gathered the boy into his arms. Syaoran tensed at first at the touch, but Yue's aura was so young and pure, it did not remind him much of the violating hands from the past. He hissed in pain, though, when Yue moved him too much.

" Are you crying from the pain?" Yue asked. " Master Clow will help you get better, you will see. He stayed up all day and night the first day we brought you back, did not sleep or eat. He was scared we will lose you, whatever that meant." At this Yue frowned a little. " He was in a sour mood ever since we found you. He kept wishing we had attacked sooner and found you before they could hurt you, because you were hurt badly."

Syaoran had fallen silent.

" Does it feel better now?" Yue asked.

Syaoran swallowed thickly. " Yes, I feel better now." His backside burned and the memories still tugged at his mind, but he wanted Yue to stop talking.

" You are still sad." Yue noted. " What is wrong?"

Syaoran sighed. He wished the guardian was not so young.

" Why did your master help me?" He asked.

" Why should he not?"

Clow already knew, and Yue was, essentially, a fellow guardian, so Syaoran explained, " I am guarding something. People have been after me for it."

Yue's hold loosened as the guardian recoiled a little. " You think Master Clow is after it too."

" I am sure he is nice to you." Syaoran's voice cracked in bitterness. " But then, they are always nice to their own."

Offended, Yue blurted, " Master Clow does not even know that you are guarding anything. He would have told us."

Syaoran blinked. It was true to some extent; Clow Reed did not know Syaoran was a Dao Guardian until after Syaoran woke. Which had been after they rescued him.

" Did someone tell him to save me?"

" No," Yue frowned. " They pointed at your tent and said there was a sorcerer in there killing the soldiers. So we went in, then you attacked us, then Clow went in and saw you." Frowning even more, though Syaoran could not see it, the guardian than asked, " Why did you attack the soldiers?"

" I did not know if they were after me." Syaoran clutched at his face and broke into tears again. " Oh! If there were but one other left!"

Yue did not understand. " Who?" He asked. " We are here." He said innocently.

Syaoran shook his head, recovering a little. " I am a Dao Guardian." He cleared his throat. " I was chosen to go to the Dao Temple long ago and train to protect the Pills of Immortality. I had brothers and sisters of the Dao, and teachers, all at the temple. We were supposed to protect the pills, ensure no one finds them, at all costs. We were a family, all aiming for the same thing." He wiped his blind eyes. " Then they were all gone. They were all killed. I am the only one left." His amber eyes, more vibrant through tears, looked up towards the ceiling. " I wonder why they chose _me._ And...and why all the other Dao Guardians out there...did not come for me. Unless they were killed too. It's been two years and no one answered my calls." He fell silent, closing his eyes.

Yue was horrified. " Who killed the guardians?"

Syaoran shook his head. " I do not know." He said miserably. " I forgot."

" You miss them?" Yue tightened his hold. " Well we are guardians too. You have us now."

Syaoran could not contain the bark of laughter. He was touched. " Thank you Yue." He smiled.

Yue pressed a kiss to Syaoran's temple, the way Clow had done to him many many times. " Feel better?"

Syaoran nodded, still smiling. Yue helped him sit up to eat.

oO

As he was not making much progress with the boy, Clow decided his guardians seemed to have the situation under control and concentrated on his cards again. The exact nature of the card remained elusive to him. What should the card be? How is he to harvest the power?

" It is hard to believe you need yet another card to your collection," Mian remarked. " It seems you have accounted for every possible spell already."

" The magic is unbalanced, somehow." Clow observed. " I do not know why, or how."

" Yet you are certain the solution is here?"

" Hm. Luck be with you then."

Clow perused through the scrolls the sorcerers lent to him. There were many things in the scrolls, but none of them seemed to answer the problem he had with the cards. Clow was certain the problem was he required at least one more card. But what kind?

Outside, there was a sudden ruckus. Requiring a break, Clow headed out to investigate. Several warriors were having a brawl.

_Barbarians. _Clow thought. But then, everyone was a barbarian in times of war.

" What is going on?" He asked Mian.

" They got drunk." Mian folded his arms. " Good show though.

Clow chuckled.

" It is never too serious." Mian continued. " They take out all their frustrations on the battlefield."

" I see."

" What is happening?" Kero suddenly scampered to Clow's side. " What is going on? What? Huh?" Ears twitching he looked around. " Why are they fighting?"

" It is alright, Kero." Clow patted the guardian's head. " They are playing."

" Playing?" Kero's ears twitched again. " That looks pretty painful."

The sorcerer chuckled again. " How is the boy?" He asked.

" He is in a healing trance." Kero yawned. " Boring! Only Yue would stand meditation."

" The boy knows how to heal himself?" Clow raised an eyebrow. He was impressed. " Looks like I had less time than I expected."

" To do what?" Kero asked.

" Nothing." Clow patted the guardian's head again. " What is Yue doing? What did you mean by only Yue would bear meditation?"

" Yue is helping him." Kero shook his head, as if trying to shake something off.

" Really?" Clow was even more surprised now. Healing trances are usually solitary affairs. Even Clow's healing trance with Syaoran had been exerted only from his side, while the boy remained unconscious and unknowing. When done with another magical being, it can be much faster, but the two must trust each other completely for it to work, or else the trance could actually worsen rather than heal. So Syaoran trusted Yue? " I suppose I should have expected that one."

" Expected what?" Kero asked.

" Nothing." Clow shook his head. Yue was the embodiment of purity and beauty, something that would probably attract Syaoran.

The brawl dispersed before it became too serious, as Mian predicted, and glancing at the sky, Clow noticed it was getting very late. He bid Mian goodnight, and retired to his guest hut. Kero headed to Syaoran's room, and when Clow peeked in he noticed Yue had taken a place next to the boy, who was curled up in his arms. Kero then hopped on to the bed, briefly waking Syaoran, who, still drowsy, did not notice Clow watching.

Clow frowned. If the child is alright with it, he saw no reason why his guardians should not keep the boy company, especially if the boy has any nightmares. Still, he wondered if this was entirely proper.

_Does it matter? _He told himself. He remembered the child's words from before. Syaoran did not know what the men were doing to him. He only knew it was cruel, and that they were not merely wounding him, but what exactly they were doing was beyond the boy's understanding. _He is still a child. And both Kerberus and Yue are children themselves. Let them give each other comfort._

oO

The next morning Syaoran had recovered remarkably. He could now walk a little, with the help of Yue or Kero, much to Clow's surprise. His aura had also returned to better health, and true to when they met, it spoke of great potential. Syaoran had both great magical strength and fine training.

He still found it painful to sit, requiring help to lie down, but the boy was restless, and as walking might help both his mood and his recovery, Clow allowed him to leave the hut. He was too suspicious to welcome the attention of the rest of the village, so with some apologies, Clow kept the boy to the area strictly around the hut, with either Yue or Kero as his constant companion. Feeling that at this rate Syaoran could try some solid food, Clow asked for a meal, which was freely given, and the boy, ravenous, finished it like any ten-year-old, while Clow continued to study the scrolls. He was distracted, however, by the boy's constant melancholy, and found himself, instead of thinking about what to do about the wild card, thinking about what to do with the boy.

_If only trust could be earned more quickly. _But the boy had obviously been tricked many times before, and refused to be tricked again. Clow felt saddened by this. If the child had really been captured two years ago, who knows what he went through all this time. And with the boy blind, Clow doubted the boy could tell him much, himself. Who were the sorcerers that took him? Syaoran would not know. He would only recognize them by their auras, and that was not the way to relate the identity of the sorcerers. The thought reminded Clow abruptly of something else he told the boy.

How was the child blinded? His eyes looked physically fine. Clow wondered if he could convince the boy to allow him to do some tests. Perhaps his sight was removed from within? Poison, perhaps? A fever could blind a person permanently. But all of these are speculation, and until Clow was sure, there was no way for him to work on any potential cure. He looked over at the boy, who was using Kero as a support. Kero was being his usual talkative self.

" The Bubble Card was made just for me!" Kero was saying. It was something Clow had said in order to placate Kero and convince him to stay still enough for Bubble to do its work. " What does Yue have? Yue has nothing."

Syaoran was chuckling. His melancholy lifted a little. _Children are naturally resilient. _Clow thought. But quickly the melancholy settled back again, like a dark cloud.

" Syaoran," Clow called, and the boy quickly froze, aura tensing in anxiety. Clow found himself wishing the boy was not so afraid of him. " Will you allow me to run some tests on your eyes?"

" Why?" The unfocused amber eyes in question narrowed. " You actually wish to find a cure?"

" Do you?"

Syaoran's lips tightened. " What kind of tests are you planning?"

" Just some tests with light." Clow replied easily. " It should not hurt."

Syaoran seemed hesitant, but he ultimately headed over to the older sorcerer, who took the candle on his desk and tested the pupils of the boy's eyes.

" They used magic?" Clow asked.

" Yes."

" What spell?"

" I do not know."

" All spells have a counter spell." Clow murmured as he studied Syaoran's eyes. " We will just have to figure out what it is. Your eyes seem fine by themselves. Can you see light at all?"

" No."

" Yue's healing trance did not help?"

" None of the healing trances helped."

Clow resisted the urge to pat the boy's shoulder. Syaoran would undoubtedly not appreciate any contact of the kind. " Was there any feeling at all, when they cast the spell?"

The boy paused. " I felt something hot burning right between my eyes." He replied. " That was all."

Clow frowned. " Alright. I will see what I can find."

oO

" Center of forehead here," Mian pointed at the scroll he had taken out when Clow came to him, " Was a point discovered to be vital for eyesight. Warriors who survive arrow wounds here are blinded permanently. However, I know of no spell to target that area. Usually spells blind the physical eyes."

" It might truly be irreversible then." Clow frowned.

" Center between the eyes here," Mian repeated, " Healers have some name for it. Essentially, they say the energy from the left eye crosses over with the right eye at this point." Mian paused. " Meaning, the information from the two eyes cross over here. It is possible to use acupuncture on this point to cure eyesight, although usually doctors prefer to use the back of the head."

" Why?"

" I do not know." Mian shook his head. " I am a sorcerer, not a healer."

" Do you know anyone who might know spells that target that area?"

" I can ask." Mian shook his head. " It would be very hard, I think. It is not very intuitive. Even if we find out what spell it was, there might not be a known counter-spell."

Clow nodded his head. " That would be fine. I merely have to try."

" Soft spot for the child, eh?" Mian smiled knowingly. " He is lucky to have you. Times as hard as they are, only you can spare the energy to take care of him." He looked out. " The main evil of war. Everyone turns into a killer."

Clow turned around.

" How goes the wild card?" Mian suddenly asked.

Clow sighed. " I am at a loss. Perhaps working on the child's blindness will give me some insight."

" Maybe the boy might give you some ideas himself." Mian nodded. " He has great magical power."

" Hm." Clow smiled. " He does not trust me though, so I doubt that would happen."

" Oh?" Mian blinked. " He does not know you?"

" He knows me." Clow suddenly frowned. " It seems my reputation precedes me further than I expected."

" Ah, Master Li," Mian smiled knowingly, patting Clow on the shoulder, " You have no idea."

He went on to describe just how well-known Clow was in these areas, but Clow found himself thinking about Syaoran instead of listening to Mian. What kind of spell would target between the eyes? And where would a counter-spell target?

Preoccupied with these thoughts, he merely nodded to Mian as the other man finished speaking, and headed to his hut, where the child, who should be resting, was actually babysitting his guardians more than anything. Kero bumped at the boy's knees, sometimes nearly knocking him over. Yue spent most of his time trying to prevent Kero from hurting Syaoran, having been in a healing trance with the boy and knowing how grievous his injuries were.

" Careful!" Yue snapped at Kero. " Do not make him fall!" For Syaoran was still standing. " You should go lie down." He then said to Syaoran. " If he keeps doing that you will fall and it will hurt."

" Help me?" Syaoran held out his hand, and Clow watched, a little astonished, as the boy allowed Yue to support him back to the cot. From someone so distrusting, it was still strange to note how close Yue and Syaoran already were.

" Hey, he was firm on his feet!" Kero complained, not understanding. " Why do you keep treating him like a newborn foal?"

" He is still weak, Kerberus." Yue remonstrated. " I would know." He then told Kero about the healing trance.

" Hey, how come you did it with him and not with me?"

" Next time both of you can join." Syaoran said tiredly. Then he noticed Clow.

Sensing his tension, Yue turned to his master. " Have you found anything?" He asked.

" I will work on it." Clow studied the boy.

" Good." Yue replied.

Clow turned his attention to Yue at this, wondering why suddenly the guardian seemed so different.

" I want to do it now!" Kero was whining. Syaoran groaned–he was tired and his patience was finally wearing thin.

" Fine!" Syaoran reached for Yue to help him sit up a little.

Yue glanced at Clow.

" Go ahead." Clow smiled. He walked away as he sensed his guardians assembling the appropriate positions for a three-person healing meditation.


	4. Chapter 4

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 4

After both guardians helped Syaoran heal, he was nearly fully recovered. Clow knew he still had to cut the stitches out, however, so he sent the guardians out to explore and sedated Syaoran in order to perform the operation. Syaoran, who thought he had merely fallen asleep, did not know what happened, only that he was better, and started making plans to head to the temple.

The guardians, especially Yue, were both extremely upset about this.

" Why is he leaving?" Kero complained to Clow. " He is fine here! We take good care of him!"

" Yes, you do." Clow agreed.

" So why is he going then?"

" He has some affairs to take care of." Clow replied, but actually the sorcerer was trying to come up with a good reason to convince Syaoran to stay.

" Well can we go with him?"

Clow smiled. " I still have the wild card to attend to, Kerberus."

" Oh come on!" Kero whined, stalking back and forth. " How about it, ne? We go with him to the temple."

" Kero," Clow patted the guardian's head, " The temple is not the place to play. It was his home. He has duties to attend to there."

" Like what?"

_Burying his fellow Guardians. _Clow thought morosely. _He is only ten years old. Too young to be responsible for such a task..._

The thought of the child, small and young as he was, going to a temple full of unidentifiable bodies, assuming no one was lying in wait for him, and toiling the days after, burying his past companions, those who took care of him, those he took care of–there must be some way to convince the child to stay, or else Clow feared he might have to keep the boy with him by force. If only he could shine light back into the boy's heart, strip away that dark depression with a promise of protection that the child would actually believe...

Or perhaps, it was time for the guardians to set out on their own for a while?

_Too dangerous. _Clow instantly thought. Not to mention, if their current relationship was any indication, Syaoran would be the one taking care of the guardians, not the other way around, and there was enough burden on the child's shoulders that Clow was not too keen on that.

" Master?" Clow had been silent for a time, and Kero shook his knee with his own paw. " What is Syaoran going to do?"

Instead of answering, Clow sighed. He stood. " I am going to go see if I can collect some herbs for Syaoran. Look after him with Yue, Kerberus."

" Yes Master," Kero answered, ears lowering a little in trouble.

Clow then headed out.

The snow had started to stick, and the frost froze into blankets over some of the grass. There were still some white specks drifting from the sky. Clow used his staff to poke through the snow, uncovering mostly shrubs and dead grass. Letting his mind fall into a daze with the monotonous work, he continued this for an hour or so before heading back, uncovering some herbs but none of them useful for Syaoran.

oO

While Clow was out, the guardians struggled to occupy Syaoran, especially Kero, who, troubled, was especially nervous and antsy. However, Syaoran was getting impatient.

" I need to get back to the temple." He said to Yue and Kerberus. " I cannot go back if I do not know where I am right now."

" Honestly, kid," Kero told Syaoran, " We do not know either."

Syaoran paced back and forth at that. " Where is your master?"

" He said he was going out to collect some herbs for you."

" Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Yue asked.

" I thought you liked us!"

Syaoran turned to them, staring blankly in their direction. " I do." He said truthfully. " But I cannot stay."

" Why not?"

Syaoran sighed. " Does Li not have a family?"

" What do you mean?" Yue asked.

" Wife," Syaoran threw up his hands. " Children."

" He made us so he would not need a family."

Syaoran sighed. " What kind of man is your Clow Li?"

Yue looked at Kero. " He is a kind man." The moon guardian began. " All sorcerers respect him."

" He is really worried about you." Kero darted around Syaoran restlessly. " You are not going to go out alone, are you?"

" I have to." Syaoran said quietly.

" No you do not." Kero darted between his legs, forcing Syaoran to sit back. " You can stay with us."

" Master will take good care of you."

" He would like that too." Kero told Syaoran. " He loves children."

" Does he," Syaoran grabbed on to Kero's armor as the guardian began moving again, this time while Syaoran sat on him.

" If you go, Master Clow will be very worried about you." Yue said to Syaoran. " So would we."

" Where do you have to go anyway?" Kero asked. " Your parents?"

Syaoran was silent for a while. " No." He said. " Just my responsibility. As guardians, you would understand, right?"

" But you are only ten." Yue blinked. " Ten is very young. And you are very small."

" Tiny little thing." Kero agreed. All of the sudden, he spread his wings.

Syaoran yelled, falling back. Yue reached forward to balance Syaoran.

" What was that?" The boy asked, blinking owlishly. " Those things."

" You mean _wings_?" Kero asked.

" Whatever those two spots are." Syaoran blinked. " You have wings?"

" I have them too." Yue said.

" Oh." Distracted, Syaoran ran his fingers over the feathered wings. " Oh." He marveled again. " You can fly!"

" Do you want to try flying?" Yue asked. " I can take you."

" I can fly him just fine!" Kero sniffed.

" But he would not be able to hold on if you try doing tricks." Yue pointed out. " I can carry him and do tricks."

" Can you?" Syaoran smiled a bright, hopeful smile. " Can you take me flying?"

oO

The darkness was so constant Syaoran did not even notice it anymore, after all these years of having to depend on his other senses. It had been so long that he had accepted he would never see again, and learned to survive without sight. Yet, as Yue took him to the skies, he lamented out loud, " Were I able to see! How it all must look!"

He knew how it _felt. _The air moved all around him, and made him feel like he was falling, but Yue's arms were strong and protective around him. The knowledge that he was in the air was thrilling beyond belief. The ground was probably miles away. He was above the world, one with the clouds, with the stars, the sun, the birds. He wished dearly that he could _see_, but the idea that he was in the air was so wonderful, he started laughing out loud in delight.

Yue, who always took his own flying for granted, never imagined that this would be so precious to someone else, and hearing Syaoran laugh with such unrestrained joy moved him deeply. He tightened his hold on the small body before swooping into a spin, and the boy shrieked in delight. He was so occupied with his burden that he did not see the approaching banners in the distance.

The guardian continued to entertain the child for the next hour, before coming down when he saw his master head back to the hut. Clow, smiling as he listened to Syaoran chatter to Yue about all the various things he felt and pestered the guardian to tell him what they all were, set down his bag of herbs and sat down to listen. Kero nudged his master as the boy continued to talk animatedly with Yue.

" He chose Yue!" Kero complained. " I could have carried him just fine!"

" He would have had to hold on." Clow replied. " I am certain he would choose you next time, now that he fully understands the concept of flying." He smiled at the scene. " I have never seen him so happy."

" He did keep laughing." Kero rolled ont his back. " Sounded like he was going crazy."

Clow laughed.

" We can do it again, right?" Syaoran asked Yue.

" Of course." Yue looked up at Clow. " Master!"

Clow smiled at his moon guardian. " So long as you do not do anything dangerous, Yue." He told him. He then looked at Syaoran. " I assume this means you will be staying with us for a while?"

This instantly dampened Syaoran's cheer; the boy had forgotten he meant to leave. He turned his troubled face to Clow.

" I have to go back..." Syaoran said this as more of an apology than a demand, as he had done previously. " I need to find out where the temple is relative to this place."

_He is asking me to help. _Clow realized when silence fell. _The child is finally starting to trust us._

" Do you know where the temple is situated?" Clow asked. " Have ever gone to nearby territories around the temple?"

Syaoran shook his head morosely. " I just know we were in the mountains. And I could tell you what they looked like, but..."

_Hm. _Clow considered. _There is no way for the boy to know where the temple is._

" Maybe someone here knows." Syaoran looked at Kerberus, even though he could not see him. " But hopefully they are trustworthy."

_Maybe if I ask the question correctly, we would not need to worry about that. _The wild card is stumping him, at this point, and Clow had two new agendas that required speedy undertaking. Syaoran needed to be cured of his blindness, and taken, for now, safely back to his Dao Temple. If there really is nothing but old ghosts from the past waiting for the boy, Clow would decide what to do from there, but for now, the Dao Temple had been Syaoran's home, and still was. He could afford to divert his attentions from the wild card in order to help this child.

Suddenly, a warning bugle sounded.

" The Qin!" Someone outside shouted, and Clow sensed the boy's aura almost freeze in terror at those words. Not the type to panic, the master sorcerer instantly headed out.

" What happened?" He asked one of the villagers.

" Guards on post saw Qin banners." The villager was terrified. " They are heading this way!"

" How far are they?"

" I don't know!"

But Clow was using his own means to find out. The sorcerers in an army are normally located in the center, where they are best protected and have the best position for any ranged spells and shields. From what he could sense, the troops will be upon the village in a matter of hours.

" Where is Master Mian?" He asked another panicked villager, who did not respond to his question. Clow instantly stepped back into the hut.

" Kero, take the boy." He instructed. " Head for the capital; no flying, you will expose yourself. Go past the capital and head into the forests and make sure to hide your aura. I will notify you when it is safe to return."

" But Master!" Kero protested, " What about you?"

" I will be fine. Protect the boy!"

For all his precautions, however, Clow did not anticipate the sorcerers' true motives quickly enough. Before he even finished his sentence, he sensed a flare of auras materializing inside the hut. Clow instantly turned around. He had not warded the hut, not believing it was necessary. Apparently he was wrong.

" Clow Li," Said the first sorcerer, who appeared to be the leader of the six that had appeared. He cast an interpretation spell before speaking again. " We have heard you arrived in our lands. You chose your timing poorly."

Yue grabbed Syaoran, who was frozen in terror. Kero leaped across to shield the boy from their view, growling in warning.

" Gentlemen," Clow took a moment to compose himself, " What can I do for you?"

" Do not play dumb with us, Half-Breed." The first sorcerer stepped forward. Kero roared and snapped his teeth at him, causing him to flinch back. " Call off that animal and hand over the boy." He said to Clow.

" I am afraid I cannot do that." Clow replied. " I do not even know who you are. Why should I hand over the child to you? You might...hurt him."

The sorcerer glared at Clow as the five others adjusted their staves, preparing to cast spells. " My name is Kwak Deon." He said.

Clow was a little taken aback. He had heard of this one. " What are you working with the Qin for?" He blurted before he could stop himself.

" They offer good pay." Kwak sneered. " Do you hand over the child now?"

" No," Syaoran moaned, desperation turning his face as white as sheet, " No, I trusted you, please,"

Yue held on to him tighter, looking at his master, while Kero flicked his tail, ready to taste blood.

" As you can see," Clow replied steadily, " I have some difficulty with your request. I already promised to honor his."

Kwak raised his staff. " You should not have interfered, Half-Breed."

" Perhaps." Clow did not bother to raise his own staff. " But then, I think people have done what they should for long enough. Kerberus, attack them!"

With a mighty roar, the great sun guardian leaped upon the six sorcerers. Clow dashed to his book, where the cards were kept. Within minutes, Kerberus had torn out the throat of one sorcerer and Clow had beheaded two others with the swift use of the Ghot Card. Yue raised a steady shield, covering the child with his arm and part of his wing. Kwak, however, managed to dodge Kero and aimed straight for the boy. Yue's shield deflected the spell, but it also flickered away.

Syaoran, coming to his senses, suddenly fired a wind spell that pinned one of the sorcerers to the wall of the hut by the throat. He squeezed convulsively and the man's neck snapped. Kwak and the last remaining sorcerer, upon seeing their comrades so quickly defeated, rapidly retreated before any of them could react. As they stepped out into the light of the outdoors, Kwak called back, " You cannot escape us, Dao Guardian!"

Clow, frantic after hearing Kwak announce this out loud, instantly ordered Firey to attack them, but Kwak had disappeared, along with his friend.

Kero growled, his mouth and paws covered with blood. Syaoran, trembling, grabbed Clow's hand when the sorcerer headed over to make sure the child was unharmed.

" He is fine." Yue told Clow. " The force field deflected the spell."

" I know." Clow took Syaoran from Yue. Syaoran, still shaking like a leaf, grabbed on to the sorcerer tightly, still suffering from the after effects of the scare. " They are gone, it is over now. We are going to get you somewhere safe."

" It is never safe." Syaoran mumbled, but he was calming. The danger had passed, for now.

" What is going on?" Mian rushed in. " Master Li? Are you alright?"

" Master Mian." The sorcerers had not cast the interpretation spell for the Wen tribe, so none of the villagers actually understood Kwak Deon when he announced the presence of the Dao Guardian. " Some sorcerers from the Qin army tried to take him back."

" Most likely to torture him into a weapon." Mian looked at Syaoran. " Is he alright?"

" He is unharmed. Had a scare, but he is calming now." Clow replied. Syaoran, now still, was ready to let go, and Clow set him on the ground. " It was Master Kwak Deon."

" I recognize the insignia." Mian looked at the robes of the corpses on the ground. " That was fast!" He marveled, stepping through the blood. He called out to some villagers to drag the bodies out and burn them.

" Kero," Clow turned to the lion, " Take the boy out. Syaoran, do not get off his back; hold on to him tightly."

" Master!" Kero protested. " Where am I supposed to go?"

" As far away from here as possible. Head to the capital." Clow ordered. " I will tell you when it is safe to return, or I will find you with Yue."

" What if something happens to you?"

" Then you are in charge of taking Syaoran to the Dao Temple." Clow said quietly.

Kero protested more, but when even Yue insisted Syaoran must be protected, Kero finally gave in. Syaoran, not wanting to tear them apart like this, tried to make things easier for them by offering to stay.

" I will not panic like I did earlier." He promised the older man. " I can help. I know spells. I have killed many already with what I have."

" I know." Clow felt saddened even more by this admission. " But I will not place you in danger. Having seen what they were capable of, I cannot justify to myself any right to allow you to stay. Kero, go quickly, and remember what I said; whatever happens, do _not _fly."

oO

The Qin army came like an army of the walking dead. Their faces were plastered into the expression of dark stoicism. About their waists hung the decapitated heads of those they slew. The heads were dry and unrecognizable, barely even human-looking, twisted in the expression of shock before death. The low drums fueled their unrelenting march. Their lines were long, their blades sharp and gleaming and cruel. They came for blood.

The villagers withdrew to the fort, where from the top of the walls archers shot arrows. On the front lines the Qin army placed their shields that easily deflected them, and from behind their much more advanced crossbows shot missiles that easily penetrated the armor of the soldiers. They came like a tide, swooping in and climbing the walls and fighting their way in. The Wen were soon overcome.

Clow and Yue took to the skies to see how far the army extended. As they shot to the air, arrows and spells flew at them, and Clow quickly summoned a shield. It was too dangerous to be airborne. They landed on the walls in the midst of fighting.

As the rain of arrows whizzed through the air, Yue used his hydrokinesis to control the blood of the Qin soldiers. One by one, they burst in a splatter of red and pink flesh, and Yue himself, after a few minutes, began looking like a bleeding corpse. Clow concentrated on the magicians in the rear of the army, working to cancel spells and put them to sleep, as well as deflect as many of the arrows as he could. He did not see who fell; he only saw who was still standing, and focused with the intention of lowering the numbers. With the cards at his disposal, he flattened the grounds with sizzling spells and bursts of dirt and debris.

Yet it was not enough. The Qin were relentless. They seemed to know no pain or fear. While their comrades may be falling and failing, they themselves seemed all the more focused, calculating, determined, and it seemed the army grew instead of shrunk; they kept coming, more and more of them. It was not before long that Clow felt the taste of steel against his side. He fell to the ground, whipping his head to look at the cold eyes of the Qin warrior who stabbed him.

As the Qin warrior raised his arm for the final decapitating strike, he suddenly exploded before his eyes–Yue had got him. The guardian hurried to his master.

" Master Clow!" He cried, supporting him and pressing against the wound.

" I am fine." Clow shook his head. The blade did not penetrate his major organs; he could tell. " Get me inside the wall."

But inside the wall was not safe either; the Qin warriors had made it past the front defense and began slaughtering the villagers. They grabbed the heads, with eyes still blinking and blood still streaming from the skull, and tied them to their waists with the efficiency of too much experience. Clow summoned the Firey Card to attack the warriors charging at them, and soon the ground was ablaze. The warriors did not back down, however; they seemed immune to the flames, or at least they did not fear it, for they ran through the fire as if it were not there. Yue shot crystals at them, and only then did they fall.

" Leave none alive!" Clow heard through the interpretation spell; it was Kwak Deon. " Take the heads of all of them! The more heads you bear the more land you will get!"

_Ah. _Clow thought in a daze. The bleeding, and the smoke, was making him light-headed. _So that is why they wear the heads. To show off how many they killed._

Black smog covered the air, and Clow could barely hear the screams and sobs of the villagers as they rushed to their loved ones, only to be cut in half themselves. There was a roaring in his ears. _This is how the Qin army united China. _He thought a little blankly, now very still and faint. _This is what it takes to unite China. No wonder China is united so well; too much blood was spilt for the sake of unity for them not to honor that distant promise._

Arrows flew by his ears. Yue shook him. " Master!"

_Would I prefer Europe to be united? _Clow found himself wondering stupidly. He was slowly falling unconscious. Powerful magic was still no match for the strength of the wills of over sixty thousand men. _It would probably take the same, nay, more slaughter, to bring Europe together, and perhaps even that is not enough._

" Master! Please, stay awake!" Yue shook him again, then stopped to cast some spell. Clow was no longer sure what he was doing.

Then Kwak was upon them, attacking Yue, who defended, but barely.

" You should not have come, Half-Breed!" Kwak laughed. " You walk to a Field of Death!" And even as Yue summoned the force field, Clow sensed the spell coming straight for his head. It was too strong for Yue's shield; the spell was going to hit, and there was no time to duck.

" Drink this!" Kwak laughed, as the spell went through Yue's shield, toward his face–


	5. Chapter 5

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 5

The spell winked, anticlimatically, out of existence right before it reached him.

" You talk too much!" Cried a familiar, young voice, and Clow saw a dark shadow leaping over him to tackle the sorcerer.

_Syaoran?!_

The child's aura was fresh and blazing with battle-fury. Kwak Deon was sent flying backwards, into the cloud of debris and wet bones. But the boy was as frightened as he was angry; he instantly turned Kero around to head straight for Yue and Clow.

" Get him!" Syaoran cried, " We will clear the way! Get up! Get up!" He sent a spell at Yue to knock the guardian out of his shock. " Get your bleeding arse off the ground!"

Yue grabbed Clow, but as the guardian lifted his master to his feet, Kwak had returned.

" You son of a whore!" He dove at the boy, knocking him off Kero's back. Kero lunged again, but Kwak blasted the guardian away angrily. The boy landed in the dirt, winded. " You want some fixing? I will fix you, I will–"

Yue summoned his crystals and sent them spinning toward Kwak. Kwak brushed them off like they were mere leaves. The boy had frozen in terror, however, and was unable to take advantage of the distraction. Kero, however, managed to land on his feet, and shot a ball of flame from his mouth. Clow, woozy and disoriented, could only watch.

Suddenly, lightning flashed and the bolts hit where Kwak stood. Jumping out of the way, Kwak turned to face the new threat. It was Mian.

Shocked out of his stupor, Syaoran crawled to his feet, but Kwak instantly stepped on his stomach, kicking him back to the ground. Mian attacked again, sending a blue spell, which Kwak rapidly blocked and retaliated with a green spell of his own, while still standing and crushing the boy. He was too preoccupied, however, to defend against both Kero and Yue while minding Syaoran and Mian, so the guardians managed to knock him over. Grabbing Syaoran by the back of his collar, Kero took to the air. A stream of arrows followed, but Kero managed to fly above them just in time. Yue, adjusting his grip on his master, also took to the skies, and before Clow could protest, darkness clouded his vision and he blacked out.

oO

It was Syaoran's turn to heal Clow. He could not do it very well, being injured himself so he did not have that much health to give. However, he did manage to replenish enough blood for Clow to stabilize, and left Clow to wake on his own while he himself slept a little.

Clow woke hours later, feeling much better. They were in the middle of a dense green forest. The quiet here contrasted sharply to the battlefield before. The sun was setting, illuminating the sky in different colors. The birds warbled their last songs for the day as the insects buzzed above their heads. Syaoran was still sleeping, head resting against Yue's shoulder. Yue, for his part, was lying against a root of the tree behind him while cradling the boy, and Kero was stalking back and forth restlessly.

" What happened?" Clow groaned, alerting the guardians that he was awake.

They explained to him.

" Ugh." Clow groaned again, sitting up with some difficulty. His head pounded and felt like his brain was trying to push out of his skull. " I seriously underestimated the Qin army."

" They were ridiculous." Yue agreed, and Clow saw that his pant-leg had two holes in it; the guardian had been shot at, and the arrow had gone clean through his leg. Syaoran shifted a little, but did not wake.

" Why did you come back?" Clow asked. " And with Syaoran too?"

" We had a premonition." Kero replied. " Well, he had the vision and I had the premonition. Or are those the same thing? I had a feeling something bad happened, and he had a vision of you being stabbed, so we both agreed to head back."

" Good thing they did too." Yue shifted to hold Syaoran better, and Clow saw that his own guardian had been stabbed too, multiple times through the torso and back and side. Someone seemed to have bandaged all the wounds though, and there was only one person who could have done that.

" Looks like we are somewhat even." The sorcerer said wryly to the boy's sleeping form. " And here I was hoping for a little leverage in convincing you to stay with me. But now I know why the Qin army is legendary for their ferocity." Having defeated the Qin before without participating all that much, Clow had been misguided into believing the Qin were like any other tribe, easily overcome with magic. This was a very unwelcome disillusionment. No wonder someone of Syaoran's power fell prey to their sorcerers...

Which reminded him of the close call with Kwak's spell.

" He has to teach me that." Clow declared suddenly.

" Teach you what?" Yue asked.

" Whatever he did to that spell." Clow replied. " He did not deflect it, or block against it, or absorb it, as far as I could tell. It simply vanished."

" You mean the one that nearly took your head off?" Kero asked. " It was pretty amazing."

" It was almost like..." Clow thought for a moment, " Like he neutralized it, somehow. Cancelled it. Negated it."

" I have failed you, Master." Yue suddenly apologized. " If Syaoran had not come in time..."

Clow shook his head. " I created both you and Kero to be a team." He replied. " Together you are invincible. When separated, however, you two are much weaker. It was foolish of me to believe I could stand against thte great Qin army by myself, with only you as my guardian. We all should have fled; I came here only to make the wild card, not to get involved in the war."

" So why did you?" Kero asked, puzzled.

The guardians have yet to learn that Clow was not infallible, but now is as good a time as any to start. " I underestimated the Qin." Clow sighed. " I thought the Wen's attack had weakened the Qin, especially after occupying one of their bases. If the Qin had indeed been weakened, it hardly counted much. This nearly cost me my life, but then, such is life. Sometimes all it takes is a miscalculation to end it."

And sometimes, all it takes is a little miscalculations to completely fail a mission. Clow looked at Syaoran, admiration warring with pity. Somehow the boy had managed to keep the pills from greedy hands all this time. It was no wonder he was not trusting of Clow at first; all it takes is misplaced trust for the boy to undergo torture again. He brushed the boy's hair out of his face. It had fallen out of its bun.

Yue and Kero looked at each other, clearly dissatisfied with Clow's explanation. They were so upset that Syaoran woke, uncomfortable with the negative feelings. He looked over at Clow.

" Oh. You got better."

" I hear this was your doing." Clow smiled at him, knowing that Syaoran could not see, but could sense his feelings of warm regard. " Are you injured?"

" Not too bad." Syaoran winced. Yue, giving him a warning look which Syaoran could not see, turned the boy's body around for Clow to look. The boy's stomach was injured, and his arm was scratched from an arrow that nearly missed. Syaoran was right, however; from a magical standpoint, it was not too bad.

Clow motioned to Yue to move Syaoran over to him. " I know you are good at healing trances. We both need it."

With Yue's help, Syaoran sat up. Clow noted, with pleasure, that the boy did not hesitate at his offer. He took the small, scratched hands in his own, folding his legs to the proper meditative position and waiting for Syaoran to follow suit. Syaoran flinched when he felt Clow, but after blinking several times, managed to calm down.

" Yue, you can join us, for you are injured as well." Then, turning to Kero, who was the only one not injured, Clow ordered, " Kero, guard us."

" Yes Master." The lion acknowledged, as Yue sat down to complete the circle. Clow took one of Yue's hands and closed his eyes.

oO

Syaoran's aura was heavy for a child his age, laden with the years of sorrow, regret, and fear. The young Dao Guardian saw no hope in the coming future; his mind was filled with only the thoughts of what he will find at the Dao Temple. Thoughts of the past hurt him–the years when he was happy and joyous seemed to mock him, instantly bringing up that fateful day when his world shattered around him, and the two years, struggling to uphold his duties, held nothing but torment, agony, and paranoia. The child could not see any of this changing in the future. He had resigned to the rest of his life, always fearing, protecting the last remnants of his past, his purpose, alone without his brothers and sisters, his mentors, his companions, and that tight dread of failing, ultimately, because it was impossible to complete his task alone when he had failed so much in every other regard. Clow sensed how the boy struggled to be brave, to not dwell on the past, to focus on the present, his goal, his duty–to not feel sorry for himself, and felt a deep sense of respect for this young child, barely one-third his own age and yet stronger than any being Clow ever knew.

It made Clow think about something he had never thought about before. He had always assumed, after seeing that little girl, shy and sweet, tell him she was the owner of the cards he created, that she would be the very next successor after Clow dies. She had the goodness and purity Clow had wanted when he first created the cards; she was innocent, kind, and selfless. She was the Star, light and tranquility, joy and beauty, untarnished, unmarred, perfection and loveliness, all in one. Here, Syaoran was dark. He was scarred, his innocence ripped away by the evils in men. If she was light and tranquility, he was shadow and turmoil. If she was joy and beauty, perfection and loveliness, Syaoran was sorrow, a reminder of the ugliest thing in human kind, a result of hatred and the desire to harm.

Yet Syaoran, as they stayed in their healing trance, seemed to Clow to be the fairest thing on earth. Like patterns on a carved jade, though Syaoran was not unmarred, was not whole, untouched–he was polished into a beautiful symbol of strength, courage, and determination–though degraded by others, his own dignity remained intact, and he retained, through the black times of despair, that kindness that made him double back to save Clow, to tend to the guardians, to face the very object of his terror so that they would be rescued. Bitterness clouded his spirit; he was no longer innocent, having witnessed and bore the brunt of too much cruelty. Yet he retained his humanity, through it all, and Clow knew the cards did not have to have an innocent master as much that they needed a humane master. Someone like Syaoran deserved to be blessed with the power of the Clow Cards, or even more.

The thought warmed him. He will show Syaoran that the young Dao Guardian can expect humanity in return for his own. He will clear away the bitterness and heal his wounded spirit the way he would tend to his own child. And when Syaoran no longer views the future with despair, he will give Syaoran whatever the child needs, whatever the child could wish for, to ensure that he never again suffers those unspeakable acts of cruelty. Syaoran will be the son he never had. Syaoran will be the student he never had. Syaoran will be _his _hope, just as Clow will provide hope for Syaoran. And with this done, even if the wild card was not completed, even if that sweet little girl from the future does not receive the perfect deck–well, if he could help a child as deserving as Syaoran, his life's purpose is fulfilled.

Syaoran was ready to withdraw from the trance. The boy was not as selfless as the little girl from the future–he had too heavy a burden to be capable of such naivety, and therefore spent most of the healing trance healing himself and worrying about the days ahead, completely oblivious to Clow's observations. Yue, not understanding any of the profound thoughts and emotions felt through the trance, simply followed along, healing both the best he could and saving questions for later. Clow withdrew from the trance despite not being completely healed–it was safe for him to draw out, and healing takes energy.

They opened their eyes.

" What happens now?" Syaoran asked. " The village is overrun."

" I will head back to see if I can help any of them." Clow replied. " I owe that much to Master Mian."

" I need to return to the temple." The blind boy said quietly.

Ah, yes. The Dao Temple. " I intend on going with you." Clow told the child. " You will need my help."

Syaoran did not deny that. " When do you plan on leaving?" He asked.

" As soon as possible." Clow replied. " Where are we?"

" Thirty leagues away from the battle village." Yue replied. He turned around to Kero, who had fallen asleep due to boredom. " Kerberus!"

" Huh? What? Wha?" Kero looked around.

" You were supposed to watch out for danger!" Yue remonstrated. " What if we were attacked?"

" Then I would have woken up!" Kero cried defensively.

Since both Yue and Syaoran had been at stake, Clow rebuked gently, " Not necessarily, Kerberus. There are silent spells, and silent weapons. You should have been more diligent. We were completely defenseless in the healing trance and could not have sensed anything to warn you."

Chided, Kero lowered his ears apologetically. " Sorry." He mumbled. " But you were at it for hours! Look at what time it is!"

True; it was completely dark now, the moon high in the sky. They had been mediating for what looked like five hours.

" Still, vigilance, Kerberus." Clow said. " Especially for Syaoran here. He is the prime target. What if they found him? Do you remember how hurt he was?"

" Yes." Kero said quietly, ears drooping further.

" Come along." Clow rose. His side felt sore, but it was tolerable. " Thirty leagues is not far for flight, and the night is quiet. I suppose the battle is over already. Let us start heading back, slowly, and see how things are."

They did not have to head far–the village was ablaze. The Qin soldiers, in their wrath, had burned all the buildings to the ground, and not only that, had progressed to other villages, slaughtering them as well. A whole mass of red and smoke flickered in the distance. The Kingdom of Wen had fallen, Clow saw. It was to their fortune the forest they were in was not in the direction of the capital, as Clow had instructed, for their forest would have been lighted as well. Another miscalculation that could have gotten them killed.

Syaoran, who could sense nothing but magical sources, had no idea what was going on. He only realized there was a smell of smoke and guessed there was a fire.

" I doubt we can do much now," Kero noted, while Yue sailed over to secure Syaoran on his back.

Clow looked at the scene grimly.

" They will start looking for me." Syaoran said quietly. " It is a wonder they have not found us already."

This woke Clow from his musings. " Come." He told Kero. " We head out. Hopefully we can locate the Dao Temple. Syaoran, are there any protections at the temple?"

" There were." Syaoran's eyes were moist, tears spurred by the constant reminder of his loss. " I do not know if they are still there."

Clow's lips thinned as he considered the boy.

" We will see what we can do when we get there." He promised the boy. " I have still to cure your blindness."

" It is alright if you cannot do anything." Syaoran bowed his head.

" Come." Clow waved at Kero. " Let us hurry before they do find us.

oO

" Looks like I have wronged you deeply, Master Mian." Kwak circled the bleeding form. " How unfortunate...for you..."

Mian did not reply. As the blood trickled to a stop, Kwak waved at the guards to release the bindings. The body crumpled to the floor like a rag.

" Take him to the cell." Kwak told the soldiers. They lifted the man by the arms carelessly and dragged him out of the room. " Mind the binder, or else he may cause a few...things to go awry. Send for a healer when you are done. I want him stable enough to answer more questions."

" Yes sir."

Stepping over the red stains on the floor that trailed after Mian, Kwak looked out the window. A sixty-mile search had yielded nothing last night, and no doubt with two guardians capable of flying, Clow had managed to escape very far with the boy. Kwak did not expect to find them anyway.

" My lord," A man stepped up to him after about an hour. It was one of the lower-ranked sorcerers. " The healer has professed the prisoner to be stabilized."

" Very good." Kwak nodded. " Have him fed. I will have use for him later."

The day was very cloudy, and minutes later it started to rain. Kwak looked out, drawn into the hum of the drops lightly hitting the soft ground.

" So what are we going to do?" A female voice interrupted his reverie.

Kwak turned around. " Ah, Sister." He murmured. " You surprised me."

" Too deep in your thoughts." His sister moved over to him. " I take it that Wen sorcerer knows nothing about the child's whereabouts?"

" Cannot say I am surprised." Kwak admitted. " The boy has managed to keep his secret these last two years. He is very clever and resourceful. Add to that, he is an exceptionally powerful child; not only is his control over the elements superb, he also displays nullifying power. I am not surprised if even our best tracking sorcerers cannot find him."

" Pity he is so stubborn." His sister remarked, with no trace of sympathy in her voice. " He could save himself a lot of grief. Foolish boy."

" Would save us a lot of grief too." Kwak looked at his sister. " But then, one can expect nothing better from a Dao Guardian."

" How do we find him then?" She asked. " He is the last one. Time runs short. Now that he is free with the Half-Breed, the pills could fall into his hands instead."

" The child would never give it to Li." Kwak dismissed it instantly. " He is too weak, even with his guardians, to break through the child's determination and skill."

" His Majesty the King of Qin will be most displeased if news reached him."

" Well he will just have to keep his displeasure to his own leisure." Kwak replied. " The quest for immortality was never promised to be short and smooth."

" But with a mere child, he expects us to break the secret easier."

" Even if the boy does tell us where the pills are located, doubtless the Dao Guardians placed many protections around its hiding site. To break through those will be a feat; such spells were increased each year and had many years to grow. I know the King. He will lose his temper, yes, but ultimately that is of no consequence to us. We must first find the child."

" And how shall we do that?"

" The child has protected himself well." Kwak replied. " But we found him once. This time, he will be even more careful than before, but not so the Half Breed. It is time we see just how the great Clow gained his name." He turned around. " We will see if we cannot locate him instead."

oO

Kwak underestimated Clow's foresight. Now, with a new purpose at hand, the foreign sorcerer decided to do whatever it took to protect Syaoran, and had enough intuition to realize he is a clear target himself. The Shield Card was relatively inexpensive to maintain, and was created, actually, specifically to obscure the master from tracking spells. With this card he masked Kero and Yue as well. After some careful thinking about how the Qin sorcerers might react, Clow also realized that the Dao Temple was going to turn into a trap, after considering his options. Obviously, Syaoran had nowhere else to go, and now that no one could trace Syaoran and Clow, doubtless there will be sorcerers sent to wait for them there. Instead of searching for the Dao Temple, Clow tried to head back to Rome; but the Qin sorcerers anticipated that move as well and blocked the use of portals.

There was no choice but for them to try to wait it out. With Shield in place, and all of China, they could be anywhere. The only danger was Yue and Kero, who are very recognizable as guardians.

" You can give them false forms." Syaoran told Clow, after listening to everything he had to say.

" False forms?"

" Forms magical beings can take. I know there were beings that guarded the temple–usually they walk around looking like the rest of us. They do not attend training, however, so we knew they were different. Some of them did not even have magical auras. When the temple is in danger  
, these people suddenly transform, and they become much more powerful. In their false forms though, you could not tell at all."

" False forms," Clow considered, looking at Kero, who was the one that needed it most.

So Kero became a flying tiny creature, easy to hide and a good excuse for Syaoran to carry him around like a toy. It also made more sense for Syaoran to have a toy than to have any pet, as in this day and age travelers could not be expected to take care of animals. Yue, however, was a little more difficult, as the guardian did not want a false form like Kero's. In the end Syaoran suggested to leave Yue as he was, because he actually could fit in quite well so long as he did not have his magical aura to give him away.

As for Clow himself, there were enough different racial groups throughout the states that he would not look too strange, and he changed his robes to look more oriental and act the part of Syaoran's father. In this fashion they quickly mingled into the crowd of mortals and disappeared from all maps.

oO

The Lord of Qin, or King of Qin, was an extremely intelligent man who was wiser when he was younger than when he was older, as was often the case among truly great men. Though famed for his cruelty, he was actually no stricter than any other ruler of that era. His tyranny stemmed from the need to control the many barbarians under his rule, barbarians who would respect nothing except power and force. The King, for his part, had no problem gratifying that need, and perhaps succeeded much better than his many European counterparts, having united China for what will promise to be thousands of years.

He was a barbarian. A well-learned, sophisticated, cultured barbarian. Like all leaders before and after, he did not flinch at blood. In the age when humans are just beginning to divide from their animal cousins, it was still a game of fight or flee, and the King of Qin was no coward–not when he was young. He scoffed at accusations of evil. He was no more evil than the rest. And he had plans, plans to make Qin the greatest race of China, to make his new, young empire the greatest empire in history. Failure will not be in his people's blood. They will each be warriors, great scholars, masters of all crafts.

Immortality? The King of Qin was still young. He felt strength in his veins, and like all young folk, it was hard for him to imagine he could ever die, ever fail. Though he knew as well as the rest that he would one day die, he did not quite believe it. The project for the pills of immortality, he funded, but not whole-heartedly, not as much as he would later in life. Not above targeting a child, he was also not below forgiveness at the time, especially in regards to sorcerers; they were, to him, strange folk, but often very intelligent and very capable. He knew that the sorcerers were more interested in immortality than he.

" Ah, it is a child, after all." He told Master Kwak. " What could it do?"

" It is not the child himself." Kwak protested. " There are others after him."

" Ah, but others are in the same predicament as you, I believe."

Kwak could not argue against that.

" Our goal is to conquer the other states." The King told him. " If the great Qin falls, what use is immortality? Focus your efforts on annihilating all who oppose our reign. The gods favor our rule; see how we crush our enemies! They will give us the blessing of immortality in time, but only after we accomplish what must be done."

" Yes, Your Majesty."

" Carry on." The King ordered. " I must have the Jin. Ensure their supplies are confiscated; burn everything else and kill any who does not cooperate."

So the army moved forward, and the farmers went on providing the supplies. The sorcerers continued to search for the young Dao Guardian, but most of their attention was focused on conquest. But Kwak ordered his sister to maintain a group of sorcerers especially on the lookout for the Dao Guardian and his new assistant, the Half Breed. If the child raises his head even a little, the Qin sorcerers will be upon him.


	6. Chapter 6

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 6

There was no society outside the Qin safe from the war. As the days passed Clow listened to the reports from far off distances–tales of kingdoms being no more, of cities flattened as if they never were, women ravaged and children cut to bits. He had heard of such stories before, in the West, but that time he did not have a child with him.

Syaoran, restless, did not know Clow's full intentions. He only knew the man meant him no harm, and thought that inevitably he will return to the Dao Temple, and Clow would return to the West, and Syaoran would be alone. Though dreading the future visibly, Clow knew he was not receptive yet to any alternative. In honor of those who died before him, Syaoran was determined to carry his task through, and Clow had to respect that. One day, perhaps, Syaoran will be willing to accept Clow fully and let go of the dark past that can no longer serve him, but now, despite wishing dearly that he could comfort the boy, Clow allowed Syaoran to continue being anxious. He, himself, felt anxious–effectively trapped in another world, with a child he must protect, yet surrounded by danger.

He tried to occupy his mind with constructing proper shelter for the boy, as well as herbs and anything he could find to cure the child's blindness. Often he would leave Yue with Syaoran and head out with Kero to scout. When he came back he would teach Syaoran how to use the cards. Syaoran, for his part, did not understand the meaning behind this gesture, until Yue, being more perceptive than usual without actually realizing it, announced his genuine delight at having Syaoran as his future master.

" Wait, what?" Syaoran stared in Yue's general direction. " Your...Father?" He turned to the man, a little lost.

Syaoran had begun calling Clow ever since they set up their personas. It got to the point where the child really started to mean it. It pleased Clow and the guardians, though Clow warned the guardians not to tease Syaoran about it.

" Why, you do not like the cards?" Kero asked.

" I thought you were saving them for your daughter." Syaoran frowned.

Clow smiled. " I do not have one." He replied. " She is merely one of the successors, one that I happened to know of. I do not know exactly when the cards will be passed down to her, and she is not necessarily the very next one."

" You plan on giving your cards to me?" Syaoran was astounded. " But..."

" You do not want them?" Clow asked.

" Well," Syaoran frowned, " But...I am a Dao Guardian."

" So?"

Syaoran rubbed his head, obviously feeling that he should not accept the cards, but not knowing how to articulate it. Clow kissed the top of his head tenderly.

" I think you will do well. I only wish I knew how to complete the deck for you." He scowled. " The wild card still escapes me."

" Oh." Syaoran blinked, holding the cards in his hand loosely and looking lost in thought. " So Yue and Kerberus would be my guardians then."

" We will have so much fun!" Kero nudged Syaoran, " You will let me eat more than Master Clow, right?"

Syaoran laughed.

Eating, in fact, was the one thing that kept placing the child in danger. Clow could not keep using the Sweet Card to convert things into sweets every day, but going to the market in the nearby village was a perilous endeavor, for both Clow and Syaoran. It was not long, therefore, before Clow realized someone was watching him too closely for comfort.

" She seems to be mortal." Clow told Yue and Syaoran over supper when he caught her stalking him while buying groceries. " She looks very familiar, somehow. She has amber eyes, like you." He told Syaoran. " Do you think she might be a family member?"

" I do not know." Syaoran shook his head.

" How did you end up in the temple? That birthmark–surely it was not there when you were born?"

" No." The boy replied, explaining, " Supposedly, a Dao Guardian came by my family's residence when I was born. We were always looking for new potential guardians, and he said I had a great destiny and should be with the temple."

" You are a son. It is strange that your family gave you up so easily."

" I would like to think it was not." Syaoran answered. " But it is not unheard of for families here to give up their sons in hopes of them earning a better future. Perhaps my parents wished for me to have what they could not provide. Either way, I was handed over to the Dao Temple and all connections were cut off."

" So you do not even know your surname?" Kero asked.

Syaoran shook his head, although he did not seem too bothered by it. " Most of us do not. There was one; she was discovered later, and her father basically tried to sell her to us." Syaoran glanced down, saddened by the memory. " She tried to help everyone, but she was among the first to be killed. She was only six."

" And you were only eight." Clow reminded him.

Syaoran inclined his head.

" There is a resemblance between you two," Clow went back to the subject. " Do you want to contact her at all?"

" At this point," Syaoran said tiredly, " I have met so many 'family members' I do not even care if they really are related to me. But if you feel it would serve your purpose, I cannot stop you."

" Syaoran," Clow sighed, kneeling to the boy's level, " I am trying to help you here. I do not need to help myself. They are not after _me. _As is, you have a better idea of what kind of situation we are in, so I am merely asking for your opinion. We do not have to look for this girl if you do not feel safe, alright?"

Syaoran nodded, eyes a little glassy and blank. Clow raised his hands and rubbed the boy's arms. Syaoran flinched at first, before calming a little.

" Nevertheless I must find out what this woman wants." Clow straightened. " I will head back to town and see what I can learn tomorrow."

oO

The people were afraid. The Qin was an impossible force. Townspeople talked of them as if they were more specters than men. They said arrows could fly through them and they will still keep coming. Their blades could cut through the strongest iron, the heads worn around their waist are bewitched to guarantee them victory in battle. What hope did anyone have against such a force? And the people dreaded the day their country will be overrun. They did not want to join the Qin. They did not want the Qin to win.

Clow sympathized. When this is over, he thought, he was going to take Syaoran out of here, out of China. No doubt, the Chinese cannot yet appreciate the jewel Syaoran is. If his few glimpses of the future were anything to go by, the King of Qin will hardly change his style of ruling when the war is over and he emerges victorious. Clow had seen soldiers, riding on their horses, herding men in rags–young men, elderly men, young boys hardly older than Syaoran, and the vision skipped to a high wall and these same men and boys carrying bricks, hammering, some of them dropping to the ground in exhaustion, others crushed when parts of the wall collapsed. If Syaoran remained, the best he could hope for was work at the Great Wall, assuming the sorcerers did not have their way with him first.

He will take the boy to Rome, Clow thought, as he headed to the market. He will take the child to Rome and introduce this boy to his colleagues. The Jewel of the East, he would say. _"Look what I brought home!"_

His lips twitched at the thought. Here he was, imagining these things when Syaoran still hoped to go back to the Dao Temple. He was getting ahead of himself here. But despite himself, Clow continued to visualize this dream. Syaoran would have another name–whatever "Syaoran" meant, it would draw the attention of any sorcerer aware of the pills. No–he will give the boy a new name. A Latin name. What would be a good name? He will think of that later.

_He will learn Latin. _Clow thought. _He could. He is smart._

And Clow will find a way to give the child his sight back. Syaoran will be shown the wonders of Rome. Clow will take him to the Senate, to the streets of Pompeii, and then take him to Greece, Athens, the center of culture and arts in the West. By Jove, Syaoran will have the time of his life! And most of all, there will be peace in the West, no warfare, no men carrying the heads of those they killed, fires and burning and flaming arrows. Syaoran will grow in safety and prosperity, with Yue and Kerberus, and when he inherits the cards, Yue and Kerberus will be his guardians, and Syaoran will rise among the ranks of sorcery and perhaps even overshadow Clow himself.

Reaching the market, Clow was brought back to the present. The market was, overall, dusty and dry. A wide dirt road paved a street with stands lining its sides. Each stand was owned by a farmer or a craftsman, with goods laid out in front while behind the stands, mules and donkeys stood chewing on grass while still hooked on to wagons that bore both the goods and the wooden boards the stands were made of. Some wagons did not have mules or donkeys attached–those were pulled by the sellers themselves. The air resonated with loud clangings and shouts as the shopkeepers hit metal plates with sticks while yelling out various items for sale, along with their prices.

Clow did not see the lady with amber eyes, so he decided to take a little time to look around instead of heading straight to the vegetable stands as he used to. There were some very interesting things: silk fabrics, though in plainer colors for high prices; wooden toys for children, such as a bamboo yo-yo, a top, and some figurines that can move; ornaments to hang on houses for good luck, with "charms" written in primitive characters. Clow decided to buy Syaoran a top. The stick that went along with it cost extra, but as this was war, money to these people were more a symbol of stability than a symbol of wealth, and as a magician, Clow had no qualms conjuring inflation–ultimately such things were not important in the long run, as the country will be annihilated by the Qin anyway.

After wandering around a little, Clow found the woman still did not appear. To linger longer will seem suspicious. He wondered if she knew he was looking for her. It was best not to alert her any more than he possibly did, so he resolved to go home, ensuring every step of the way that he was not being followed.

oO

Kero's lion form proved to be incredibly beneficial. Hunting was one of his basic instincts, and when Clow Reed was heading home he encountered Kero as the guardian was stalking antelope. He paused in his walk to watch him, as the sorcerer had never taught nor witnessed Kero hunt before.

He hunted just like any other cat that hunts alone. He scouted and when he found a prey, he stalked, silently, toward it, before bursting into a dash, aiming straight for the throat. He pinned the animal down with his paws when he caught it, and the antelope thrashed for a minute, before it fell lax.

" Ha!" Kero yelled, mouth full of blood as he released the neck. " Got ya!"

Suddenly the animal jerked to life and took off in flight.

" Oops!" Kero chased after it and caught it again easily, for it was already very weakened. Clow cocked an eyebrow as the beast swatted it with his paw.

Deciding not to alert Kero to his presence, moving again to head straight for the house, where Syaoran was waiting with Yue.

" Did you find her?" Syaoran asked after greeting him.

" No." Clow replied. " She did not appear. I actually waited for her for a little while. I also got you something."

Syaoran could not see the top, but Clow quickly solved that by coating it with magic. Safe within the shields he cast, he had coated the entire territory with magic to help Syaoran navigate. Delighted, the child took the toy and dragged the bewildered Yue out to play with him, for once forgetting his Daoist task.

Minutes later, Kero arrived, dragging his catch through the door.

" Master!" The happy guardian called out, dropping it. " Look what I got!"

" Wonderful!" Clow laughed, pretending he did not see Kero do it. " I should start the fire right away."

Syaoran played with the top outside with Yue, and their laughter could be heard from inside the house. The smell of venison, however, quickly lured Syaoran in, though Yue had been disinterested.

" Meat!" Syaoran cried out in excitement. " You were not carrying when you came back!"

" Work of Kerberus." Clow gestured, while Kero suddenly sat straight, proud of himself.

" Oh." Yue stared at Kerberus, before blasting him with some water.

" Hey!" Kero cried out, disheveled. " What was that for?"

" Your face was covered with blood." Yue replied.

Syaoran laughed at their antics, although his attention quickly drew back to the smell of of the sizzling meat. " How long has it been?" He asked Clow, anticipation clear from his expression.

" Need about an hour yet." Clow ruffled his hair. " Be patient."

Syaoran was too excited, so Clow told Yue to take the boy back outside and distract him with the top. Kero, who had not seen the top yet, bounced out to play as well.

A few minutes later, Clow broke out of his musings when he saw clouds of dust rising between the trees in the distance. There were sorcerers nearby, though they seemed to be unaware of the house. He quickly hurried to the window, where outside he could see the guardians still playing with the boy.

" Yue," He called out, and the guardian came over. " Tell the others to keep quiet."

" Why?" Yue asked, sensing Clow's anxiety. " Is something wrong?"

" I do not know." Clow shook his head. " But I do not want to draw attention. Stay out in the bushes in case they decide to come into the house."

Baffled by this request, the guardian stared at Clow for a moment. " But...why should they come into the house?"

" Just in case." Clow shook his head. " I do not want them to see you. Tell Kero to revert to his false form for now."

Still confused, Yue gave him a skeptical look before leaving the window to do as Clow had ordered. Very soon the trio disappeared. Syaoran had even taken the precaution to hide his aura. Clow frowned. He had not meant to frighten the boy, only alert him enough to be careful.

Sure enough, however, Clow's extra care had proved invaluable, for soon he spotted about five soldiers heading up toward the house. The house was visible to the normal eye; Clow had only blocked its magical signatures, so it was not unreasonable for people to knock on his door. Still, Clow was glad Syaoran was not anywhere too close.

" What can I do for you, sirs?" Clow asked, weaving a quick spell beforehand so the soldiers would not notice he was actually speaking another language.

" You see any tall man riding a horse somewhere around here?" One of them demanded rudely.

Clow blinked. " No sirs, I am sorry. I saw no one riding by."

" Got anyone home with you who might?"

" No." Clow shook his head. " My wife and daughter are at the market." He lied for a good measure, to distract from Yue and Syaoran. " Unless the man passed by there as well, I am afraid we cannot help you."

Grumbling, though they did mutter in thanks, the soldiers left. Clow released a breath when they were a safe distance away. Whoever they were chasing was obviously running for his life. Some perceived traitor, perhaps, if he was not actually one, or maybe an ambushed lord, which is also a common story in times of war. He shut the door when they disappeared into the trees to rejoin their ranks, and started heading toward the back door to call Syaoran and the guardians in; the venison was ready, and it was time to eat.

A sudden movement caught his attention, however, and Clow instantly snapped his staff to a ready stance. " Who is there?" He demanded.

" I mean no harm!" A man whispered, stepping out behind a curtain.

" How did you get in here?" Clow asked, cursing himself for not taking extra precautions. " Who are you?"

" I am the Crowned Prince of Jin." The man folded his hands, half in greeting, half to show he was not armed. " I was pursued by traitors to the Jin Kingdom."

He certainly did not look too regal. He was somewhat filthy and disheveled, the way one appears when they had been riding long distances overnight. He was thin, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was falling off its bun, while his beard was tangled with dirt and leaves. His robes, however, were finely made upon closer inspection, and sensing the man was telling the truth, Clow lowered his staff.

" Why were they pursuing you?" He asked.

" They were trying to assassinate me." The prince explained, lowering his hands when Clow relaxed his stance. " My brother wants to hand our kingdom over to the Qin. He knew I opposed this so he sent his soldiers to arrest me."

Risky information to be giving to a stranger. Clow could very well be a member of the Qin. However, the man had a faint aura that Clow could sense now that he is focused on him. It was very weak, as faint as the man was exhausted. No doubt, he had revealed his identity–a risk in itself to a stranger–because he knew Clow was a sorcerer. Within the confines of the house, the magical auras were not concealed.

" You are a sorcerer." Clow stated out loud.

" Yes." Anxious to convince Clow, the prince was willing to admit anything. Still not very wise, but then, he was caught trespassing. To let him go freely was not wise either, however, so Clow raised his staff again.

" You will leave this place." Clow told him. " And you will remember nothing of this place."

" Yes," The prince readily agreed, but Clow murmured a spell anyway to hypnotize him. " You hid in the bushes and they went past you. You will now head far from this place."

" Yes." The prince said, much less enthusiastically. He then turned around as Clow snapped his fingers and headed out.

Clow waited for a while, before heading out to get Syaoran.

" Father?" Syaoran's face was pale as sheet. He clung closely to Yue, trembling in fear. As Clow approached, the boy let go and grabbed on to the older man.

" It is alright." Clow promised. " He is gone now. He never saw you. Was not even here for you. Come, there is no reason to be so scared. Come, child."

Syaoran looked up, and Clow glanced down into those moist orbs, bright with fear. Syaoran looked so small and fragile. Tough as he knew the child to be, he could not bear the idea of the boy ever going through the past wretched years ever again.

" I promised you." He reminded the child.

Syaoran lowered his head, nodding grimly.

" Come." Clow bent down to take the child's hand. " Food is ready."


	7. Chapter 7

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 7

That night Clow dreamed of Rome. He dreamed he was carrying Syaoran through its dark streets illuminated with torches. The capital city was still bustling with life despite it being dark, and many men gave Clow's charge curious glances as he passed by.

For some reason, Syaoran was not looking around in excitement. Perhaps he had already seen the sights during the day, but the child was curiously still in his arms. Was he asleep? Clow looked over. No. The wide eyes were still open. The firelight glanced off them so they seemed to glow. He pressed his lips against the cool, delicate cheek. No response. It was as if he never showed that bit of affection.

Clow woke with the boy in his arms. It was a small cot, but the child was small enough to fit, and he had snuggled against Clow closely for warmth and security. The child did not wake, but stirred a little to bury his head deeper into Clow's chest.

_How does he not suffocate?_ Clow wondered, shifting his body so that the boy would have breathing room. The scare earlier in the day had ruined the child's spirits thereafter. Even Yue and Kero could not raise the boy's mood.

Kero raised his head from below the bed and flicked his ears silently. Clow pressed a finger to his lips. The child is not awake yet. Kero did not utter a sound, but he flicked his ears again, considering the boy. It struck the sorcerer that in the relative darkness, Kero looked very much like the wild beast he resembled, and there was an almost predatory glow in his eyes as he studied the boy.

He made a down gesture with his hand, and Kero lowered his head, closing the glowing eyes. Clow released a soft sigh. He wished his own mother were here now. Lian had been one of the most proficient sorceresses of her time. Even when brought to Rome, the other Western sorcerers were in awe of her. She exuded such grace and confidence rarely found in Asian women; usually they were meek, frail things, hurt by the harshness of the world they often lived in.

Lian was different. In many ways, she was even stronger than her husband. She viewed everything with a different eye, and always had different perspectives to share. She spoke little, but her words were always well-chosen. Her only flaw was that despite her spirit, she was, physically, just like those Asian women, frail and feeble compared to her European counterparts. Though she lived to encourage Clow's project with his cards, she did not survive long after. Among her last confessions, she told Clow that she had wanted to give him a sibling, but in hindsight, it was lucky she was able to see even him grown.

She would have liked Syaoran. No doubt, her wrath would fell any sorcerer who had hurt him. She would use her great mastery of magic to find and punish all who dared to touch the boy. Even Clow could not do that. And, no doubt, she would know what to ultimately _do _with the boy. Syaoran was so traumatized, Clow was afraid he would make a mistake, and lose the child. Women have a strange tendency to know how to deal with these things.

He closed his eyes. Now was not the time to worry about such things. They were safe, for now, and must live by the day. When the time comes, Syaoran's destiny will be revealed to them both. Clow strongly hoped it would not be a dark one.

oO

Morning dawned upon a land completely covered in snow, with more still falling. The air was so cold it chilled the lungs. Even with the Shield Card, Clow did not want to use too much magic, so they used the regular means of fire and wood to heat the home.

Fortunately, no one had to go out. Syaoran, too cold to play with the top, cuddled to Kero as they reheated the antelope meat and Clow cut it up to make a hot broth.

" Winters always seem so long." Syaoran murmured. " Even back at the temple. First, when winter begins and we have the first snowstorm, we would all get excited because the snow is just so clean and white and there is so much of it. Then we get tired of snow because _there is so much of it_ and it never stops snowing. The only good thing that came out of it was that we never had to go to the well for water."

Clow chuckled at this. " Snow is the same everywhere," He sipped from his cup. Chinese tea has got to be the one of their better inventions. " But it could get a bit much, just like everything else. When I bring you to Rome, it will be a sight for you, I promise."

Syaoran frowned. " Do you think I will be able to?"

Clow smiled. " Why not? It is a wondrous country in itself, a wondrous city. If you want to go, I am more than willing to take you."

Syaoran worried his lip a little, taking a bite of his meat in the soup. " Would they think I am strange?"

Clow tilted his head, amused. " I do not know." He said truthfully. " They might. But I doubt that would be a problem, would it?"

Syaoran shrugged nervously.

Clow leaned over and patted the boy's head. " You will be fine."

Meanwhile, both Yue and Kero were getting restless.

" How come we cannot go out?" Kero complained. " What is a little snow, after all?"

" It is hardly a little." Clow contemplated the scene outside. " By tonight, I imagine, it would bury the house about halfway."

" Will we be able to get out?" Syaoran asked nervously.

" If we have to." Clow smiled. " As it stands, it is better for us to remain inside. The weather does not really agree with us, does it."

" But I am bored." Kero pouted, which was not very effective in his lion form. " I want to go outside and make a snowman!"

" You can make one when the blizzard is over."

" When is this blizzard going to be over?" Yue asked. " It has been hours!"

Clow laughed.

Syaoran laid his head back and dozed. Clow took his finished bowl. Kero, aware that the child was asleep, stopped fidgeting and curled his tail around the boy's small form. Yue reclined against the bottom of the sofa and leaned his head and arms awkwardly on the part of the cushions the boy did not occupy.

" Why is he sleeping so much?" Yue asked.

" He is making up for two years, perhaps, of no sleep at all." Clow replied.

oO

The days of the blizzard were the happiest Clow had ever seen Syaoran. Cold and always cuddling next to Kero or Yue or Clow for warmth, the snowstorm provided a security for the child so complete the boy actually shot a few inches. No one would be foolish enough to travel in a snowstorm, even the most competent magician, and the child basked in the knowledge that for the duration of the blizzard, he is completely safe from detection and subsequent harm.

When the blizzard passed, the land was covered in six feet of snow. Clow's house was completely undetectable, which made for a good hiding place. Unfortunately, their food stores were running low; it had been snowing for about two weeks, and even Clow's foresight at the market can not delay another trip. He headed out.

The civilians were pushing at the snow. It was too thick to shovel. They called all the tall young men of the village together and they pressed and kicked out a highway linking to each house.

Of course. Clow wanted to slap himself in the forehead. With this kind of snow, did he honestly think anyone would be doing business at the market? Feeling a bit foolish, he set down the basket and offered his manual services to the villagers.

The villagers, having seen him often, welcomed his aid.

" You have no girl eh?" Said one. " Always see you coming back and forth. Get yourself a wife and you'd be sitting at home relaxing."

" It depends on the wife, does it not?" Clow replied.

They laughed and thought this comment was very witty.

" He's very right." Said a middle-aged man. " You think they're trained to be all soft-spoken and disobedient. My arse! My wife does nothing but yell at me all day."

" Oh please." Said another. " She bore you three dashing sons and two girls. Not to mention she works hard at home. _My _wife? So far she has only borne me daughters. She is a darling though."

" She'd have to be!" The men laughed.

" Say, you're not around here often, are ye?" Said the first man. " Why don't you come by tonight when this is all done? Old Leong here has the best wine in the county. We'll have a few drinks, warm up our bellies and have a good chat."

Clow thought of Syaoran, still so small and afraid. No doubt he would have to leave the boy once in a while, but it would do to give him some warning first. " Perhaps some other time. I have a few things to attend to when I get back."

" What's a young man like you doing?" Asked the men, some taking a break from shoveling at the snow.

Clow smiled and did not reply.

" Either way, you must come visit." Said the one with the loud wife. " We would have a jolly good time. See if you can't clear some time."

" I certainly will." Clow smiled.

" Well, how about two days from now? Hopefully the snow melts a bit, if not it will freeze and will still be easier to walk on."

" Of course." Clow nodded, thinking that he could handle leaving Syaoran with Yue and Kero under such circumstances.

" Very good! I will introduce you to my sister. She has been most anxious about you, old fellow. Been driving me nuts, asking about you.'

Clow frowned, but his face was turned to the snow, and the others did not see.

oO

" You know I will never jeopardize you." For some reason Syaoran was very unhappy with the idea of Clow going out.

" You will drink." Syaoran pointed out. " Wine loosens the tongue."

" And magic counters wine." Clow frowned. " Do you want me to take a blood oath?"

" That does not do anything." Syaoran replied stiffly. " It only ensures you are punished if you ever break the oath, which is hardly conducive to my mission."

" Syaoran," Clow took the boy by the shoulders. In the red firelight he was reminded of the first time he ever laid eyes on the child. That hot light made the child's eyes glow like Kero's. " Life is never without its risks. We can never move forward if we do not leave some things to chance. Yes, it may seem safer for me to stay, to associate less with others, but in the long run that will only put us in danger. The Qin magicians will be looking for individuals who are seclusive. We would still be prime targets. The villagers may know more than we would want them to, but that would be our means of protection. Do you understand? I have to interact with them. I have to show them that I am normal, that there is nothing suspicious about me."

Syaoran stared ahead blankly, lost in thought. Clow kissed the top of Syaoran's head. " Remember what you risked before?" He reminded the child. " You risk a lot trusting me. I have not failed you, have I?"

The boy shook his head. He leaned forward and hugged Clow, burying his face into the older sorcerer's robes.

" You will be alright." Clow promised.

As a gift, because he knew it was hard for Syaoran to accept this, Clow used the Sweet Card to convert some of the snow into dessert. Showing his childish spirits once again, Syaoran's mood approved more than it could have otherwise at the sweets.

Yue and Kero headed outside to clear away the snow. Clow sent the Snow Card out to ensure they were not seen. It remained within the shields and Clow could sense it moving around, checking all areas.

The cards had developed a fondness for the boy. Clow found it very endearing. Somehow they all had a soft spot for the child. The Sweet Card tended to activate on its own, for example. Once, the Create Card, a card which requires quite a bit of energy to summon and control, conjured a stuffed panda cub for Syaoran, which could squeak like the real animal. Clow had a feeling it stole some of Syaoran's magic for that, but the boy did not seem to feel anything. It could be because the child simply had that much power to spare. When it came to protectiveness, the cards were extremely diligent. Clow wondered if this was because they were sentient, or because Clow himself wanted to protect the boy, and as he was their master, they carried out his wishes.

_If only he had some other companions. _Clow found himself thinking. Yue and Kero were like children themselves, but they were guardians, and guardians are different from human children from the start. He contemplated this as the boy took out the top to play as best he could on the living room rug. He dared not ask the child to speak of his past. Syaoran, for his part, seemed inclined to do his best to forget it ever happened. Yet, there must have been something good in his past. Syaoran was a normal boy, after all, despite surviving great hardship.

The sorcerer reclined in his seat as he watched the boy play. In his mind he imagined, perhaps in times of spring, the flowers peeked over the long grasses and in the trees, and young children, girls and boys, as Syaoran had mentioned a young girl at the temple, running through the grassy meadows, chasing butterflies. Syaoran was probably more naive then. He probably did not really understand what it meant to be a Dao Guardian, only that it was something he should be proud of. They would have games, toys for the periods between study, and the adults might watch and chuckle at the antics of the young.

What kind of person was Syaoran? Was he a shy, quiet child, or was he outspoken, loud and high-spirited? Did he have many friends? He must have. No doubt when the temple was attacked, Syaoran had survived not just because of his own will, but because of the will of others.

_He must have been protected. _Clow thought, suddenly aware that he discovered something new. _He had to have been. Even for his power, there was no way Syaoran could have survived that first attack, especially if it came as such a surprise. No doubt they valued him above the other children, for why did he survive and not them? Dao Guardians were _all _powerful, and for the young, it seems strange he, an eight-year-old, was the only one to come out alive when the more experienced guardians were unable to escape. And it could not have been because of his size back then; there were great many as small, if not smaller._

There was something special about Syaoran, then. Something that the Dao Guardians realized, at least before he had been saved. Either that, or there was something about this child that captured the attention of the sorcerers raiding the temple. Why did they kill everyone else, after all, and spare Syaoran? Younger children are easier to break. Older children have more to offer. There were definitely other eight-year-olds at the temple, and Clow doubted age was the foremost thing on their minds.

Or it could have been random. Random luck, as it were.

Clow frowned. It was not random. Random would mean several survivors. Not just Syaoran himself.

" Were you the only one left?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Syaoran looked up in surprise. He remained silent, however; he did not know how to answer.

" When they raided the temple." Clow clarified, figuring that he might as well ask. " Were there no other guardians they kidnapped?"

Syaoran blinked, understanding. " No." He said with a steady voice. " They killed everyone else."

" Because they struggled."

" No." Syaoran shook his head. " They just went and killed."

" Then how did you escape?"

" Uh," Syaoran ran his fingers through his hair nervously, " I...I do not really know. I mean, the Elder Guardian just came to me in the middle of the raid and led me away."

So the Dao Guardians saw something in Syaoran.

" He hid you?"

" I guess." Syaoran swallowed. " They still found me, but they did not kill me. I do not know why."

" They _both _knew something," Clow realized.

oO

Kwak looked out into the white landscape, the tent flap hitting against the rest of the tent as the wind sprayed the dry snow across the the rugs. In the distance a rider galloped across the dry plains. Kwak waited until the horse arrived. His sister jumped down.

" Where is Mian?" She demanded.

" I let him go this morning." Kwak replied. " Poor fool had nothing to tell us."

" Then kill the old bastard!" Lady Kwak spat. " Why did you let him go?"

" Ah, I said he had nothing to _tell _us." Kwak replied, smiling at her impatience. " I never said he had nothing to _give _us."

" What could he possibly give?" The sorceress exclaimed. " You let him out. In the snow. In the cold. He would die before he can so much as give us holler for help."

Kwak chuckled. " Holler for help, I do not expect. But he _is _a sorcerer, and formidable in his own right. The cold and snow will not stop him. And with his entire village gone, there is but one other place he could go."

" Oh yes." Said Lady Kwak. " Straight back here, to slit your throat. Very wise of you, Brother."

" You women are always so pessimistic." Kwak sneered a little. " A little whisper of wind has you cowering behind the curtains."

" Ah yes," Lady Kwak replied, used to this display of scorn. " And you men are full of bravado, that is for sure. Even when the Heavens call out in warning, you still ride toward the lightning." Sneering even more than her brother, she went on, " I doubt Mian will do anything for you. He is too smart. He will not lead you to Clow Li, or his little charge."

" Whose side are you on?" Kwak asked dangerously. " It sounds like you are trying to root for him, Sister."

" No. Just being realistic." She sniffed, and exited the tent. " For all you know, he is right under our noses. You are wasting effort and you risk sending him help."

" Mian would not be much help." Kwak replied calmly. She had left already, and he murmured to himself, " Clow did not trust him with the little Dao Guardian then; he will not trust him now."

He mused for a while, lost in his thoughts, when a loud cry broke his concentration. It was a scream of agony.

" Good heavens," Said the sorcerer, " Are they _still _at it?" With a dramatic sigh, he exited the tent to the direction of the scream. As he walked in the snow, the icy powder crunching beneath his boots, another shriek broke the stillness of the air.

He opened the tent flap with an abrupt, rough motion. Inside was relatively dark, lit only by two candles, but the glow was enough, combined with the brightness of the outdoors, to show that the inside was filled with all sorts of tools, all meant to inflict pain. Tied to two poles was a woman, naked and bleeding. Blood and semen streamed down her thighs and her skin was covered in blisters from the burning hot iron pokers.

Kwak glanced at her. " She is not even all that good." He remarked. " Did you take her before or after you burned her?"

" Before, of course." Said one of the sorcerers. " After would cause her more pain, but even I would feel a bit odd feeling blisters under my fingers."

" Well there you ruined her." Kwak grabbed the woman's chin and yanked it up, viewing the damaged skin which would turn into ugly scars. " Pity too. She has nice features." She spat at him. Kwak yanked at her face before letting go to wipe her spit off his own.

" A filthy mouth though." Said the other of the sorcerers. " As you can see, sir."

" Indeed." Kwak agreed. He reached down to take her bloody knee. She tried to kick him, but her ankles were chained.

" Huh." Said the sorcerer, examining her between her legs. " You did not try to shove the poker in there?"

" Think we should waste the effort? If she has not cracked yet she will not crack now."

" High-spirited animal." He let her knee go and slapped at her face as if slapping a horse's rump. She spat at him again, but missed. " This means she has something to hide. Come along, take that poker now. She is ruined anyhow."

He stepped out as the woman's screams echoed through the valley. His sister was once again waiting for him outside.

" For heaven's sake," She complained, " _You _might find screaming akin to music, but I do not. If you must have them scream at least do my ears the courtesy of gagging them.

" Or," Kwak waved a spell over the torture chamber, and the cries were muted.

" Or that." Said Lady Kwak. " You did not have to go _that _far, but that is much better."

" Are you still angry at me?" Kwak asked. " I tell you, we have nothing to fear from that Mian."

" There you go again." She huffed. " But since when do you ever listen to me?"

" Sister," Kwak smiled at her, " I _always _listen to you. Just this once, alright?"

" How many just this once's?" But she smiled. " Come. I am starving. That village has nothing but whey. Ugh."

" Then I shall treat you!" Kwak smiled. " Come!"


	8. Chapter 8

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 8

Entertainment for the night was storytelling, as was usual in the village. They asked Clow to tell some stories, which Clow did, of strange lands were people had curling golden hair and could walk all day in sandals year round. They listened to him with awe and thought he was very well-learned.

After entertaining them for about two hours, Clow was tired of talking. He was never one to chatter endlessly and this was the longest he had ever spoken in his life. Throat dry, he allowed himself some wine before asking the village men to tell _him_ some local folktales.

The village men had all heard their local folk tales too many times to be too interested in rehearing them again, but there was something that happened in the area and they wanted Clow's counsel.

" They came for her for some reason."

" She liked to go around dressed like a man." Said the one with the soft-spoken wife. " Loveliest thing in the world, but you shan't catch her in a dress or with hair and makeup on. She goes around carrying a wooden cudgel, but she was quite a darling. If you forget the fact that she's a woman, you'd call her a hero of sorts."

" She was always here to help." said the first man to speak to Clow. " Whenever disaster of any kind strikes, like that time of the earthquake!"

" Oh right, that earthquake," And the men stirred a commotion in excitement of the vague allusion to the past.

" Devastating!" Said the man with the loud wife. " The entire mountain pretty much slid over here, buried half the village! And it ain't a small village neither!"

" Buried cattle, buried the sheep, the crops, boys and girls and women, just gone!"

" We all thought someone had an affair or something, angered the gods,"

" So she came along right after it happened, helped us rescue ten of the villagers. She is stronger than she looks!"

" Oh yes!" A new commotion started, amidst the drinking of wine and ale, " She once lifted a guy out of the dirt all by herself?"

" This was a Dao Guardian?" Clow asked.

" Them Daoists, weird freaks they are," Said the man with the soft-spoken wife, " Always going on about balance and how the world had hexagrams before and was composed of five elements, and having to unite all these elements in order to achieve immortality."

" Immortality! Ha! Would not want to live any more than I will, what with these aching bones!"

" They pack a punch though! That girl, we had a spat once, she beat Old Ram there to the ground! Clean tossed him over the fence!"

" One would say it was magic!"

" We asked her where she learnt it, and she said it was at the Dao Temple. Raised there as a child."

" What was she doing out of the temple then?" Clow asked.

" That's what we asked! She just smiled that enigmatic smile. Said she's looking after some affairs."

" So where is she now?" Clow asked, thinking, perhaps, this was a form of salvation for Syaoran.

" Killed!"

" Murdered!"

" So about two years ago," Said the man with the loud wife, " Bunch of sorcerers came rushing through the village brandishing knives and spears. They stormed all of the houses and started flipping over everything; tables, chairs, beds, trunks,"

" Spilled all of my wine!" Said the bartender, ruefully. " I had them nine fat jars of wine out in the back yard and they tipped them all over!"

" Then the Dao girl came, darling she was, and they had an awful brawl. The whole village nearly lit on fire from the magic spells."

" She lost. Twenty against one. Can you imagine?"

" Not to mention the soldiers."

" Yes, the soldiers!"

" They stripped her naked and raped her over and over. We tried to stop them but there was some invisible barrier."

" Butchers!"

" She was the darling of the village, you know." Said the man with the loud wife. " It was horrible."

" We tried to get back at 'em. They just puffed away."

" Guess all they wanted was the Dao girl."

" But they were carrying a banner with this symbol. Old Badger! Ye think you can draw it out again?"

Old Badger dipped his finger in some water and drew a wet image on the table. Clow glanced at it.

" Jin." He recognized. He instantly remembered the supposed Crowned Prince who trespassed his house. Still, there is no reason to tell that to the villagers. " I do not know its significance though."

" Poor girl." The men murmured.

" Some of us think that she's still around protecting us." Said the one with the soft-spoken wife. " Didn't get any trouble from the Qin, that's for sure."

" But she's been getting restless. Been having all kinds of weird problems lately."

" Strange howling in the woods."

" And certain unexplainable things."

" Like what?" Clow asked.

" The snow!" Said the man. " That's not the only bizarre weather we've been having. Over the fall, all of the sudden all the sheep went mad!"

" They are very gentle creatures usually." Said the sheperd. " They don't bite you even if you stick your hands in their mouths, they don't. But they started fighting each other and one of them killed the other! I had to slit its throat it was so crazy!"

" And the horses wouldn't keep quiet for a whole month. Kept the entire village up at nights."

" What do you think? Know any exorcism spells?"

Clow smiled. " Sorry. I am not a sorcerer. But perhaps there are certain things even we can do. I shall go home and take a look in my journals."

" He's the man!"

" Here! A toast!"

They toasted.

oO

The air was so bitterly cold that the sky was almost gray. In the clearing the horses stamped at the snow and snorted, their breaths puffing in white clouds of steam. The men tending to the horses shivered in their furs.

" Here." Said the prince, offering tea to the shivering Mian. " Good stroke of luck, running into you like this. You could have died out there."

" I know." Mian nodded, accepting the cup gratefully. He held his hands out toward the candles to warm them. The prince waved the servants out of the tent.

" Where did you come from?" Asked the prince.

" Qin." Mian did not elaborate further, nor did he need to.

The prince sighed. " They had their way with you, I see," He remarked, taking in the sorcerer's battered form. " Poisonous vipers, the lot."

" May I ask," Mian looked up a little nervously, " Who is my savior?"

" I am the Crowned Prince of Jin. Or was." Said the prince. " At the rate this world is going, the Crowned Heir might end up going to one of those Qin dogs."

" What?" Disoriented, Mian could not understand him.

Seeing this, the prince smiled a rueful smile. " Rest." He bid the sorcerer. " You have suffered, good man, and must recover. The only way to recover is to be at ease. You are safe; you are among friends here. No harm shall come to you."

Mian nodded. " I need to find Clow Li." He murmured before he could stop himself. Had he been of better mind he would have known not to mention the name, but he was half-delirious from pain and cold. " I need to find him...they were looking for him...and...some child..."

The prince frowned a little, but Mian had passed out in the chair. The prince went toward the opening flap and peered outside. The soldiers shivering nearby instantly came to attention, and he beckoned them in.

" Take this man to rest." He ordered them. " Have one guard him to see to his needs."

As they obeyed his commands, he thought to himself. He needed more than an army. He needed a skilled strategist. Mian was a sorcerer, but that did not mean he knew military tactics. Who was this Clow Li?

He would have to wait until the sorcerer wakes. No doubt Mian had much to offer him.

oO

" Why is he not back yet?"

" Think he might be a while, kid."

" What if he got lost? This place is all covered in snow, is it not? Should we light a lantern?"

" He can sense us loud and clear, Syaoran." Yue pointed out. " Even if he did not recognize the house, he would find the location of the house."

The boy worried his lip, upset.

" What if something happened to him?"

" We would know." Yue said quietly. " Do not worry, Syaoran."

" How much would he drink?"

" He will not drink that much." Kero told Syaoran confidently. " Not when he has secrets to keep."

" Does not have to." Syaoran said bitterly.

Kero nuzzled the boy's stomach. Usually it tickled him till he giggled, but Syaoran was too depressed to laugh. " If he tries anything we will knock some sense into him. Right Yue?"

" Right!"

This brought a smile to the child's face. " Alright. I believe you."

Outside, the wind suddenly began howling. Again and again it blew through the trees. Syaoran cringed next to Yue, face turning pale even in the dim firelight.

" It is just the wind, Syaoran."

" I know." The boy replied miserably.

Then, as if to relieve the child of further distress, the door opened.

" Whoa!" Clow exclaimed as the wind pushed all the snow in. He quickly shut the door.

" Father!" Syaoran cried, running toward Clow.

" Syaoran!" Clow remonstrated as he caught the child, " What are you still doing up? You were supposed to go to bed hours ago."

" How was the drinking fest?" Kero asked.

Clow sighed. " Kero," He said with some exasperation, " It is not a drinking 'fest'."

" But I thought a drinking fest is when people get together and drink a lot. Is that not what you were doing?"

" How much did you drink, Master?"

Clow suddenly started laughing. " What were you telling them, Syaoran?"

" I did not say anything." Syaoran said honestly.

" Very well." Clow gave Syaoran a squeeze before letting go. " This is an abominable hour. Have you all washed?"

Kero gave a wide yawn. " Yes." He licked his nose.

oO

Though the guardians did fall asleep, Syaoran and Clow remained awake for a while, with the boy cuddled in Clow's arms.

" The Dao believes in enlightenment." Syaoran said. " It is doubtful she would stay, even if for vengeance. We do not condone vengeance."

" Do you know her at all?"

Syaoran shook his head. " I do not know who goes where. It is part of protecting the pills."

Clow thought about the fact that Syaoran was special. " Syaoran, when do they reveal the location of the pills?"

" What?"

" The Guardians." Clow said. " When did they tell the younger guardians where the pills were?"

Syaoran stiffened suddenly. He began trembling. Clow sat up abruptly. " Syaoran?"

" No one else knew," Syaoran whispered, and in the moonlight Clow saw his cheeks glistened. " I was supposed to go to the pills. I was the one that was supposed to take over watch. Everyone else did not need to know because they were simply decoys."

" Why you?" Clow thought this was ridiculous. " Why did they choose you?"

Syaoran shook his head. " They just did. I always thought it was random." He turned his head. " Was a stupid fool back then."

" Hush." Clow took the child. He should not have brought the topic up this late at night. " Go to sleep. Do not worry about it. It is in the past now."

" I can try to talk to her." Syaoran said abruptly. " I have seen the elders do it. They tried to talk to old monks who were said to be enlightened and deified. Maybe she is a deity of this land."

_Maybe, _Clow thought, doubting it.

" And we can figure out if she is the girl that keeps following you."

" Yes Syaoran." Clow kissed the boy's temple. " Go to sleep. Do you want the Dream Card?"

" No. I will be fine."

But the Dream Card fluttered by itself, out of its seal and book, and wafted sleeping dust on Syaoran so that when he slept he seemed to be almost smiling.

oO

The King of Qin paced back and forth.

" We cannot go through the storm. Fine, we wait for the storm to pass. Now, the storm is over, but it left behind too much snow for us to move. Just how long am I supposed to let my troops wait? You magicians cannot clear the snow away with your strange spells and incantations?"

" If the snow were magically induced, it would be easy, a simple reversal will do." Replied the sorceress. " But this blizzard was natural. We can melt it, but it would take a lot of energy, not to mention our chances of surprise. It is your decision, sire."

The King fumed a little. There was little to be done about the ways of Nature, unfortunately.

" Sire," Kwak suggested, " Other kingdoms are also affected by the snowstorm in this area. We will not lag behind. Not to mention, this gives us reason to give our men a rest. There is much healing to be done, and replenishing of stores. We need not have bloodshed every day, my lord."

" True." The King replied. " But while the areas here are affected by a snowstorm, other areas are not. Down in the south, they know not the meaning of snow, but they know well the meaning of Qin. We cannot delay long. However, you are right. Now is perhaps, Heaven's way of hinting we should heal, instead of fight."

Kwak sighed. Superstitious fools. But the King of Qin was no fool, he reminded himself. Otherwise, he would not have allowed Kwak to continue with the project. Not to mention, the King of Qin had a habit of saying what would boost morale for his soldiers, whether or not he actually believed in what he said. Such a statement would very well calm any ire in the ranks.

The sovereign waved away his advisers. As Kwak turned to go, however, the King called out, " Master Kwak, if you have a moment, please."

As if Kwak had any choice. He remained behind. " What can I do for you, Your Majesty?"

" I have been hearing complaints." Said the King. " They said that your interrogation techniques leave something to be desired."

Kwak did not outwardly react. Mentally he went over who could have made such a complaint.

" As a friend, Master Kwak, I think it would do well to remind you," The King looked at him intently, " Not all ends must be achieved by force alone."

_Easy for him to say, _thought Kwak, _What a hypocrite._

" Humans are very dynamic beings." The King went on. " Some fear pain. Others seem to enjoy it. Some break under pressure. Others become only stronger. When it comes to getting information, my friend, one must learn the art of _perception. _We use force, yes, when it is necessary, but with the right people, a gentler approach may yield more fruit. After all, great kingdoms have fallen before, from the machinations of the softness of women, when hard blades had failed to even shake their foundations."

Kwak bowed. " Yes, Your Majesty." He said. But he was not listening. After all, he had no time to look for a woman to machinate anyone, nor did he have the patience to undertake the strategy the King was suggesting.

Sensing he could do no more with words, the King waved him off.


	9. Chapter 9

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 9

" These are chaotic times, my friend," Said the Prince of Jin, pouring Mian some more wine, " Humans become worse than animals and no one listens to reason. Families break apart and ally with sworn enemies. It is up to us, the rational, to retain humanity in this region."

" Right." Mian lifted his goblet. " A toast to that."

They drank.

" A pity you lost so many men to your brother, Your Highness." Mian said glumly. " Or else it should make finding my friend much easier."

" Clow Li?" Jin guessed.

" Precisely." Mian nodded. " He has these cards, magical cards, which gathered all the forces of magic and concentrated them to his will. He had come to Wen in hopes of sealing the final Wild Card, as he called it, when we were attacked and raided. I am fairly certain he is still alive."

" How do you know?" Jin asked.

" Because the Qin kept asking about him." Mian replied. " And the Dao Guardian he supposedly has within his care."

" Does he?"

" I do not know. I know this; we attacked the Qin in hopes of reducing their strength. Whilst there we rescued a young lad of no more than ten years. Clow was the one who brought him, and we never saw the child again."

" Could he have been a Dao Guardian?"

" His magical skills were phenomenal. Not to mention, Clow claimed shortly after he took the child that he had dreams of the symbol of Dao. Though he is very young, it is possible he might be one of them."

" Hm."

" He is a formidable sorcerer, indeed," Mian remarked thoughtfully, " If the Qin sorcerers could not locate him."

" Ah yes," Said Jin, " But, so long as all teleportation outside is annulled, we can safely assume he has not gone very far."

" Nay, he has two winged guardians to carry him through the skies." Mian shook his head. " Doubtless, they could carry him very far."

" Undetected?"

" Perhaps."

" He is our hope then." Said Jin, rising instantly. " We must find him."

Mian looked up, drinking from his goblet. " How?" He shook his head. " I can only provide you with a sketch. Beyond that, even with my magic, I cannot break through whatever spell he has that enabled him to avoid detection this far."

" Then we shall have to do it the hard way." Said the prince confidently. " After all, you magicians have the advantage of auras, but normal mortals have none. It can be done."

oO

Syaoran felt the bark of the tree and pressed against it to steady himself. " Kero! Where are you?"

" Right here!" Said the lion a few meters away. " Give me a second! Hwaha! I got you! Ne!"

" What on earth are you doing?" Syaoran called out.

But there was suddenly the sound of commotion, like a scuffle.

" A little—" Something bleated, " Busy here!"

" Be careful!" Syaoran called out, feeling along the bark. The smell of blood reached his nose.

" Haha! Who in charge? Who in charge?" Kero started roaring in delight.

" Kero!" Syaoran yelled. " Quiet! They will think something dangerous is in the mountains!"

" Oh, but something dangerous _is_ in the mountains," Kero puffed out his chest, but all Syaoran could perceive was his ego. " It is I! The Mighty Kerberus! Look and know fear!"

" Kero!" Syaoran stumbled a little and finally tripped, falling on his face.

" Ooh!" Kero hurried over, lifting Syaoran by the back of the collar. " You alright?"

Syaoran wiped at his face to get the snow off. He laughed a little. " Wow. What did I trip over?"

" Root."

" Huh." Syaoran winced. " Can we go home?"

" Sure." Kero let go of him. " Let me just grab the buck." He scampered off.

Syaoran remained where he was, choosing not to risk falling over another root. The cold air blue at his face, making it feel numb. He raised his gloved hands to cover his cheeks and nose.

A sudden crunching of snow caught his ears. It was soft, but very unlike Kero's. Yue? No. He instantly stiffened. " Kero?" He called.

" Mmph?" Kero responded, in the other direction of the footstep.

Terror flooding him, Syaoran started a mad dash toward Kero. As he tripped, a pair of thin arms grabbed him, pulling him upright.

" Whoa!" Said a woman. " Easy there!"

" Who are you?" Syaoran demanded. He felt for Kero's aura, but Kero had suddenly disappeared.

" I am Taka Miya." Said the woman. " Who are you?"

" Why do you care to know?"

" Well," Said the woman, who had let him go at this point, " I find it strange that a child is by himself out here in the wild. And a blind one, at that."

Syaoran clenched his jaw. " What I am doing here is none of your business."

" Indeed?" Taka replied. " Alright then." But she showed no signs of leaving.

" What are you standing there for?" Syaoran demanded, alarm still thundering in his heart.

" How do you know I am still standing here?"

" I am not a fool." Syaoran spat. " I know you are standing there. Do you not have any other place to go?"

" Not particularly."

Panicking, Syaoran tried to think of what to do, but just then Clow came to his rescue.

" Son?" The sorcerer called. " Where are you?"

" Father!"

Syaoran rushed to the sorcerer's voice. He could tell Clow was fairly close, but he could not sense the magician's aura. That was fine, because just hearing his voice was enough. Clow caught him before Syaoran could crash.

" Where is Kero?" He asked. He looked up. " Who are you?"

He then did a double take. It was the woman that had been following him in the town. Up close, he could see that she was from the Hong Region, the same region Kwak came from. Her features were very hard, with a peculiar gleam in her amber eyes that was as intense as Syaoran's, but different somehow. More biting, and sinister.

" I am Taka Miya." She said. " I saw him playing in the snow, alone."

" He was not alone." Clow gestured at the dead stag. " I was hunting."

" Interesting wound." She noted the torn throat. " What kind of weapon would do that?"

" Teeth." Clow said smoothly. " It was killed by a wolf first. I scared it away."

Silence fell for a moment, as she considered him.

" You come from the town?" Clow asked."

" Yes."

" Did not see you there recently."

" Snowstorm makes it hard to go out."

" Did not stop the rest of the women in town."

" The rest of the women were not sick. Who are you?"

" Reed."

Clow had said this after a slight hesitation. He had discovered that if he said his surname without his given name, the interpretation spell translates it into the actual word for "reed".

For some reason, she pronounced " Galdae", which was Korean, something that contradicted her name.

She considered him after repeating his name. " You look foreign." She noted.

" I travel a lot." Clow held the boy closer to him, adjusting his cloak to cover Syaoran a bit from the cold.

" You speak our dialect very well for a foreigner."

" I learn fast." Clow was getting impressed by her clarity of mind, even as he was getting alarmed by the same thing. " What is a woman like you doing out here in the wild?"

" He asked me the same thing." Taka replied. " I was looking for herbs."

" Herbs, in winter?"

" Some are hidden under the snow."

" How do you intend to find it?"

" Smell." She said. " Who is the little one?"

" My son." Clow replied stiffly.

" Son?" She looked skeptical. " I do not see the resemblance."

" He takes after his mother."

" Does he." The woman still looked skeptical. " Not a very brave little one, is he?"

Angered by this, because cowardly was the exact _opposite _of Syaoran's nature, Clow retorted without thinking, " He has a good instinct when it comes to judging people."

Clearly a comment at her expense, Clow saw the woman bristle a little, her amber eyes flashing in anger, but she did not reply. He felt a little bad this time; this woman really seemed to be innocently asking questions out of curiosity. But he had someone to protect, and he was going to do it, at all costs.

" My son and I are hungry. You will excuse us if we take our leave." Clow let go of the boy and took his hand in case the woman tried anything. She did not seem magical, but Clow was not taking any chances. There were ways, after all, that one can outwit a sorcerer without magic.

" What?" The woman sniffed. " You will not help me then?"

Clow turned, a little unnerved by this, not to mention a general tendency to be kinder towards women than men, but Syaoran, having not developed this bias yet, spoke for him.

" Do you always expect others to help you when you demand it?"

" Sharp-tongued little brat." She remarked, clearly disliking the boy now.

" You are not so soft yourself."

" Huh." Taka's eyes narrowed. " Once Papa is here, the little one has developed a nerve." She said this in what might have been a hurt tone, though there was an edge that was harsher than expected.

Syaoran, obviously seeing no point in pursuing the argument, gave a light tug at Clow's hand and turned away from her. There was something in the child's expression, somewhat similar to the expression Clow had seen on Greek priests and priestesses–somewhat wiser than the other mortals, and more calm, that reminded Clow strongly that the little child he was taking care of was actually a young Daoist priest, whose ultimate task was to guard a powerful source. He followed.

Clow swung the huge stag onto his shoulder in a feat that defied laws of nature, though with magic this was easily done. Syaoran picked up the shivering Kero in his false-form in the snow and dried him. They headed back to the house. The woman did not follow.

oO

" She pretty?"

It was almost more a statement than a question.

" What makes you ask that?" Clow asked.

" You were warming up to her."

" She might be no one of consequence."

" You wish that."

Clow stopped skinning for a moment. Yue and Kero watched with wide eyes, for once very quiet. The sorcerer looked over at the boy. There was an expression of resignation that alarmed him a little.

" You do not like her?" Clow asked, recalling old lessons of how keen children's instincts were. He had meant what he said earlier to the woman, no matter that he should not have said that.

Uncomfortable, Syaoran did not reply.

" Syaoran," Clow could not believe he was saying this again, " I would never risk you."

Syaoran heaved such a sorrowful sigh to that, Clow abandoned skinning altogether and laid his knife down. " Syaoran, I will not befriend anyone you do not wish me to befriend."

" That is unreasonable." Syaoran remarked.

" Not if it means something to you." Clow insisted.

Syaoran was silent.

" Syaoran..." He paused. " Has this happened to you before?"

Syaoran did not react at first, his face a blank mask. Then he spoke.

" There were people like you." He said, so softly Clow could barely here. " They meant well. But I do not know, something about dark women attracts them. The good ones always get found out and killed before they could smuggle me away. So many died to protect me. A whole group of sisters, once, all cut to pieces, because they were blocking the guards so I could run. Somehow when they are good they are less likeable. But they would send seductresses. And it always works." He had started sobbing. " They always think they are sweeter and daintier when they have sinister intentions. Then they think I was being ridiculous, and they throw me at their mercy and then the women slit their throats and try to slit mine, or threaten to..." He wiped his eyes. " It does not make sense. Forget I said anything."

" No, Syaoran." Clow gave the boy's hands a squeeze, mind reeling a bit from just how intense the struggle to capture Syaoran and dig the location of the pills had been. " You do not have to explain. Children have good instincts about people. They were fools to ignore you." Syaoran raised his eyes at Clow, and for a moment the sorcerer thought the child could actually see. He smiled a little. " I am hardly likely to be dazzled by a woman's charms at your expense, Syaoran."

" Why? You love another?"

" No." Clow chuckled a little, but he held Syaoran's hands tightly. " Because you are my priority. Everything I have done, I did with you in mind. I will never forsake you." He paused a bit to let it sink in. " You are my world."

Syaoran kept eye-contact, despite not being able to see, then lowered his eyes and nodded. He seemed convinced.

Clow went back to his skinning.

" How did you two meet?" He asked Syaoran.

" She came out of nowhere. I did not sense nor hear her."

" I did not smell her either." Kero provided his own input, speaking for the first time in about an hour–an incredible feat for this guardian. " Although, my nose had been filled with blood, so that probably means nothing."

Yue grimaced at this.

" She might be that sister the villager wanted me to meet. I do not recall his name. He might be a Taka as well." Clow blinked. " I can ask, assuming she told the truth. They should recognize the name. It is not a big village."

" Mm." Kero agreed. " Although a woman that could trek across snow unheard and unsmelled. That is pretty scary."

" We would have to be extra careful in that case." Clow replied. " I will put some trigger spells in the area, so that when anyone enters, at least we would know. In the meantime," He had finished skinning, " Yue, help me cut it up so we can roast this."

Yue headed over to help his master.

oO

Mian provided a description of Clow Li to an artist, who drew the face onto a sheet of cloth and showed it to the prince.

" He looks like someone from the far north." The prince remarked. " He has a large nose."

" He is half Western." Mian explained. " They all seem to have large noses over there."

" I see. In that case, he should be much easier to identify." Jin lifted the picture. " Accurate enough portrait?"

" Very." Mian nodded.

" We will send messengers out to try to locate him." The prince promised. " I doubt we cannot find him shortly." He sent out the commands for the portrait to be copied and for the copies to be delivered to the selected riders.

" Will they cooperate?" Mian asked. " I cannot imagine all civilians being friends of the Jin."

" They will not know we are Jin." The Prince replied. " Spies, after all, are not meant to be known."

Mian must have worn a doubtful look, for the prince suddenly laughed.

" The common people have their methods, my friend." The great man said. " Perhaps you should see, before you question."

" Hm!" Mian remarked. " Well said. We _shall _see. I do not doubt your willingness to find Li. He shall be a great asset, should he choose to aid us."

" He will." Jin replied. " After all, he cannot go home. He is already part of this war, whether he likes it or not."

There was such a sinister air about the Prince of Jin, that for a moment Mian wondered if he trusted the right man, but it passed quickly, and Jin gave him a smile.

" You have your villagers to avenge." The prince said. " I have my country to reclaim. Strange how hardship unites people, is it not?"

oO

" Sir! Jiko troops, four leagues out!"

" What?" Kwak turned rapidly to the marshal. " Now?"

The marshal, more used to such surprises, quickly ordered out, " All archers to the wall! Send the infantry to the front and west gates!"

" Yes, sir!"

" How many count?"

" Twenty-thousand, sir!

" Kwak! Quit sitting there like a fool and assemble your team!" The marshal was already out the front tent. " And for god's sake stop torturing prisoners!"

All the camp was in uproar. The winds were harsh and though it was not snowing, what was on the ground flew in all directions and into the men's eyes. Kwak rushed out into the open grounds.

" Four leagues out! Hurry up and prepare the fire powder! Kwak, set the traps out in front!"

" What if they come upon us?" Kwak asked, anxious.

The marshal gave him a dirty glare. " They are four leagues out. It will be another damn hour before they arrive. Your precious magicians will not die, unless you stand there like an idiot any longer!"

Spurred to action, Kwak called all the magicians. Some apparently were taking naps, for they wore groggy looks on their faces, which were quickly dispelled by Kwak's bad temper.

Fire traps, water, poison, sleep, waiting blasts and secret deaths, planted on the ground and from the trees. The walls were encased with blessings and the archers dipped their arrows in poison while the foot soldiers worried the ground with their feet. The marshal sent some of the soldiers outside the walls to hide in ambush. Their orders were to attack once the full troops assemble. Kwak divided the magicians so some were part of the ambush as well.

Before long, the hour was up, and the sounds of Jiko drums sounded, and the soft steps of horses and men. They were coming. Kwak hid behind the walls and peered over the archers to look out. He could not see them. He thought they were still far off, but a spell flew by and knocked one of the archers back. They were attacking!

" What is this?" The general yelled, while the marshal turned to Kwak with glaring eyes. " What is going on?"

" They have a cloaking spell!" Kwak cried, as he dashed down the walls. This was inconceivable! How could any spell be powerful enough to hide an entire army? Invisible arrows struck at the soldiers. The doors below opened to invisible assailants.

" Dispel the invisiblity!" Kwak ordered the magicians, who rapidly began firing cancellation spells. Only Kwak's spell worked, however. Everything else bounced off.

" Kwak, where is your poor excuse of a sister?" One of the sorcerers yelled at him angrily, and Kwak could not answer. He turned to see the furious Jiko warriors, with their banners red as blood raised high over their heads. They came, an unrelenting pulse of flesh and fury. He turned and ran.

oO

" Why are you still alive?" Qin asked.

Kwak wisely kept silent.

" A whole battalion." The King went on, " Erased from existence because you were busy wasting time using spells to rape women."

" Sire—"

" What?" Qin roared suddenly, and the sorcerer fell silent.

" We are the Qin!" The King thundered. " We are the mightiest race on earth! We do not distract ourselves with pointless indulgences! Our aim is not to destroy, but to build!" He then sank into an angry mutter. " Pointless killings. We kill soldiers, and civilians only when we have to, and even then, we do it quickly. A quick beheading. That is all. Who do you think you are?"

Silence again. Kwak knew, very well, this could be the last mistake he ever makes in his life.

The King of Qin regarded him for a moment. Such wisdom in those hard eyes. The cultured barbarian. " Where was your sister through all of this?"

" She was seeking Clow Li on her own terms."

" Again with this Clow Li!" The King slammed the table in rage. " Without a united empire, what point is there in immortality? Fool! Absolute fool! You not only lost a whole battalion, Master Kwak, you also lost an important base, one vital to our operation. You and your Daoist pills! Imbecile!" The King waved to the men. " Take him out! One hundred beatings, and not a single less! Let us see if you seek your pills yet!"

" Sire!" Kwak cried out in terror at these words. " Sire, please have mercy!" The soldiers grabbed him by the arms and tugged him forcefully toward the exit. " Sire, have mercy!"

" Oh, I am merciful yet! I should have your head mounted on my wall! Make that two hundred beatings!"

" Sire!" Kwak cried, but they dragged him out, and within minutes he was shrieking a different scream.


	10. Chapter 10

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 10

The war was picking up pace. The onslaught of the Qin battalion and the death of its lieutenant colonel, along with Qin's marshal and general, sparked a burst of anticipation. It is possible to take the Qin by surprise! The battalion was not a major part of the army, but it was in a major location, and its annihilation fed the ambitions of other enemy generals and marshals. Smoke sailed to the air joining the clouds and nights flashed with red lights from the ground and the smell of burning wood and flesh.

For about four months, the sorcerers abandoned searching for the Dao Guardian in favor of boosting their respective armies. They knew that the critical points in the war are coming. Opportunities must not be missed; they may never come again. Within weeks the political boundaries changed drastically. Qin shrunk in size.

But ironically, what had saved Clow and Syaoran from much of the commotion was the simple fact that Clow grew a beard. Riders sent by the Prince of Jin showed the portrait of Master Li to the villagers but no one saw such a man. At the same time, Lady Kwak searched for her brother to report new tidings, but could not find him. All she knew was that the King of Qin had been displeased and had him locked somewhere; no one would say where.

So passed the winter.

Spring came warm and bright upon the war-torn land, for Mother Nature does not mourn the loss of lives, but rewards those who survive with great reprieve. White death gave way to color, and songbirds returned to sing. The air felt of new hopes and dreams and new lives ready to bear new burdens.

Syaoran was feeling a lot better as the spring came. With the new life in the air, he felt more optimistic about the odds. There was new strength in his bones, and though he still saw himself facing entire nations, he now knew what it felt like to have friends again, and it was possible, it seemed, to carry out his duties.

Clow, on the other hand, was getting increasingly frustrated. Spring meant it was easier for troops to move around. He did not expect the sorcerers to open the portals, but he did expect it would be easier to break through the boundaries with the harsh winter. So far, no luck. None of the portals would budge, and the longer they remained in one place, the greater the chances of Syaoran being discovered. Kero and Yue, also, felt restless, and wished to return to the riches and peace of Rome. Clow had placed strict limitations on when the two could take to the skies, and sometimes days would pass and neither could stretch their wings.

However, one good thing came with staying here, and that was watching Syaoran in his own element. Once the snow melted, it was easier for the children to come out and play after the day's chores, and a good excuse to allow Syaoran to mingle with them while Clow saw to his own plans.

Taka ended up being what she said she was; a villager in town, and the sister, as Clow guessed, of one of the men who invited him to drink that first night. Once the snow cleared Clow and Syaoran became frequent visitors, and many villagers were quickly taken by Syaoran's quiet and mature demeanor, as well as his resourcefulness. Two years of fighting for his life made Syaoran more capable than other children in town, and he quickly became a respected leader among the children. The only shortcoming, Clow was told, was that Syaoran was incredibly small for his age. It was actually something that Taka Miya herself told Clow.

Taka was actually very observant of Syaoran, something that unnerved the boy and made Clow Reed extra careful. She was a little cold at first, but eventually seemed to warm up to the boy, and would often bake some pastries for the boy, which frightened him, but so far there did not seem to be anything wrong with them, nor with Syaoran. On the whole, she was well-liked by the village, a so-called village beauty, which provided another source of annoyance for both Syaoran and Clow because her brother kept hoping for Clow to take her hand in marriage. Despite all this, Syaoran remained suspicious of her, and seemed to almost wish she would stop behaving so cordially with him.

Clow, recalling Taka mentioning she had some knowledge of herbs, went to the girl to ask her to help him find some ingredients to brew a potion for Syaoran to achieve a growth spurt to make up for years of stunted growth. The woman's demeanor now was less sharp than it had been when they first met, and there was a kind of guarded look about her now, as if she knew something frightening, but she did not hesitate to go out with Clow the next morning to find the herbs. Syaoran, unhappy with this prospect, for he still did not like Taka, tried to convince Clow to go without her, but Clow did not agree, though he did promise to be on his guard.

oO

Out into the wide plains of melted snow and new green grass–most of the plants have not grown yet, and others are hard to find. For some time Taka remained nearby, but neither of them spoke. Clow wondered what was going through her mind. He noticed she had been paying some attention to Syaoran whenever he was around, and her expression was a bit odd. He wondered how to approach her about this. It could be nothing, but with Syaoran's paranoia, he wanted to be able to assure the boy for certain.

His thoughts were quickly broken off when he felt a sudden wave of magic and in a flash, breaking into the field, a group of sorcerers appeared before them, mounted on tall horses.

Startled, Taka darted behind Clow, who also straightened, deeply alarmed. He did not want to expose himself as a sorcerer.

" You!" Said one, with the help of an interpretation spell, who appeared to be a leader. He seemed to consider Clow for a moment. " You are coming with us."

" Pardon?" Clow blinked, rattled by this turn of events. " Who are you?"

" Can you not read, man?" But illiteracy was common in those days, so the sorcerer quickly changed his mind about that. " There a boy in this area?"

" There are many boys." Clow said with as dumb a look as he could muster. Inside he was panicking.

" This one." A sharp jerk of a hand, and a portrait of Syaoran. Thinner, but definitely him.

Clow cursed. It was all on Taka now. He hoped she would take the hint. " I have never seen such a boy."

Thankfully, the woman remained silent. She had not even flinched when they shook the portrait out. So far so good.

" You mind letting us have a look around here?"

" I do not know what can stop you." Clow replied. " I am not the elder here, nor am I a magician."

" Brat could be hiding here."

Clow debated whether he should say anything.

Taka suddenly stepped forward. " May I ask..." She said nervously, " May I ask what you want him for?"

" None of your business!" The sorcerer snapped. He gave a harsh jerk of the reins, causing the horse to whinny in complaint, and kicked at its flanks. The other sorcerers turned their horses' heads as well and kicked. Off they rode into town, where Syaoran was.

_Oh no..._Clow prayed the boy could sense them coming. They had masked their presences now, but that first pulse of their arrival should be powerful enough for someone like Syaoran to sense. He waited until they were out of sight before turning to Taka. Should he knock her out? Should he–

" Hurry!" She suddenly sprang into action, grabbing him by the arm. " We can get ahead of them! This way!"

They raced. Should he use magic? No, too risky! They would sense him without the Shield Card. Should he keep his identity from Taka? Who knows what she would do once she finds out the truth. Could they really get to the town in time? There was no time! He had to get to the village before the horsemen!

Before he could make up his mind, however, the ground suddenly gave way beneath him and he was falling, sliding, tumbling down into the darkness. When he did come to an abrupt stop, Taka had seized his hand again. " Move!" She cried, yanking him to his feet, and diving into a mad dash. She runs fast!

" Where are we?"

" Less talk! More run!"

They suddenly reached steps going up, and Clow nearly tripped. Taka, whose small frame hid immense strength, managed to keep him upright. They rushed up and Taka banged against some wooden platform, which opened up to a back yard.

" This way!" She hissed. They could already hear the horses whinnying. Clow sensed for the child's presence. It was nearly imperceptible, but the months of contact rendered him able to sense the boy more clearly. The child was nearby, and was frightened.

" Where is he?" Taka rushed to the front of the cottage, but Clow was running the other way. From the dense bushes, Syaoran sprang out.

" Father!" The child raced to him. Taka rushed back.

" Get him out of here," Taka hissed, shoving Clow. " Go!"

The horses were here. Clow could hear the first sorcerer's abrupt inquiries, and the confused commands. Clow looked down at the trap door.

" Hurry!" Taka whispered, and gave him a push. Clow grabbed Syaoran, lifting the child, and ran down into the hidden tunnel he never knew existed. The doors closed a little slowly behind him, but the shutting was soundless. This should give them some precious time.

oO

Yue raised his head abruptly at the announcement.

" Feel that?" He asked Kero. " That was not my imagination, was it?" For as instantly as he sensed the magical aura, it was gone. Hiding auras was almost a novice skill among experienced sorcerers.

" I felt it." Kero looked at Yue. " What should we do?"

" We have to warn the Master."

" He probably knows already."

For a moment the two guardians hesitated.

" Should we...should we investigate?" Yue asked.

They did not hesitate afterwards, heading out and taking off to the skies, their slim bodies dwarfed by their massive wings. Below the horses ran through the village, kicking up dust. Yue pulled up with a flap of his wings and hovered, and Kero slowed ahead of him.

" Where is Master Clow?"

" I do not see him. Do you see Syaoran?"

" No."

They could sense them, however, faintly, and knew they were in the area. But the horsemen were doing their own searches. Though they could not break through the shields, they did seem to be closing in on Syaoran and Clow.

Without a word to his fellow guardian, Kero dove. Yue followed Kero's lead. As they descended, Yue shot an arrow, straight down. The earth's pull gave it greater speed, so that when it hit the ground at the center of the horses, the ground exploded and the people were knocked back. The earth shook and thundered.

The sorcerers, knocked off their horses, some hurt, tried to get to their feet in time, but Kero had already landed beside the edge of a crater that had formed from Yue's arrow. He let out a terrible roar and a ball of flame formed at his mouth. He was truly a majestic creature, power laced in his muscles and eyes that glowed like the fire burning in his mouth. He let out another terrifying roar.

Frightened, the head sorcerer raised his hands in surrender, eyes on the powerful, smoldering beast. " Call it off!" He cried to Yue, mistaking him as Kero's master. " We do not want to fight!"

" I should hope not." Yue hovered above Kero, equally terrible and majestic, his wings stretched and arrow strung, ready to fire. " What are you here for?"

" Nothing!" The sorcerer stammered, " Just–just looking for...for–"

" For _whom?_" Yue demanded dangerously, his eyes blazing from silver to gold.

" Just...just someone we lost." Said the sorcerer nervously. " He...he is a child...we were worried about him."

Yue released the arrow.

" Ah!" The sorcerer cried, but the arrow did not hit him; it hit the ground in front, which exploded into rock and debris.

" Leave, now!" Yue's voice resonated in the wind. " I will not miss the next time!"

In a mad scramble, the sorcerers each scuttled to their equally frightened horses. Those that could not walk were stranded. The villagers looked on with a mixture of fear and awe.

As the horses galloped away, Yue swept down and grabbed one wounded sorcerer by the back of the collar, then swooped up into the air. Young as they were, they knew the advantage of hostages. Kero followed behind, releasing one more fireball at a sorcerer for good measure, and the two winged beings disappeared into the sky.

Behind one of the huts, Taka peered into the yard. She watched the guardians depart.

oO

" Who sent you?"

No answer, for the sorcerer was one of those loyal sorts.

Clow did not have time to interrogate gently. The fact that the sorcerers were here meant they could not remain here long. He had to get as much information out of this man as he could. With a muttered incantation, he had the man writhing for a good two minutes. When he canceled the spell, the man's skin was glistening with sweat and white as sheet.

" I will not repeat myself again." Clow warned him. " _Who sent you."_

Jaw trembling, and frothing blood at the mouth, a shuddering whisper: " The Prince."

" Which prince?" Clow demanded. " Not good enough!"

" The Prince of Jin!" Cried the sorcerer, shaking in terror. Then, in a rush, " He sent out riders to look for some Clow Li, and we could not find anyone, so the prince decided to look for some kid that Clow Li was apparently with!"

" How did he come by the child's appearance?" Clow felt ice closing over his stomach. The Prince had not seen the child! Unless he made a mistake?"

" Some village sorcerer knew. Mian, Mian Teng! Some survivor of Wen, the Prince found him struggling in the snow and he was apparently tortured by Qin soldiers to look for Li!"

_Mian Teng._ So the riders then found the child, Clow guessed, and sent the sorcerers here. It looks like they were looking for him and not Syaoran. He could not take any chances however. " Why were they looking for Li?"

" I do not know! The Prince just told us to find you!"

" And the child? What were you to do once you find him?"

" We were told to look–to look for you," The sorcerer stammered, nearly in tears. " We were told to ask him where you were!"

The man was useless, but dangerous because of what he knew. He now knew what the child looked like, what Clow looked like, and where they were with respect to the village. If they simply let him go, they would lose much precious time. They were going to leave anyway; to remain much longer would be suicidal for the child, but they needed time to move. Clow summoned the Erase Card.

_This never happened. _He instructed in his mind. _He never came to the house._

The Erase Card glowed, carrying out the memory wipe, but suddenly went dim. Clow glanced at it. " What?"

The man was silent, staring at the card with wide eyes.

_It should have made his eyes glow. _Clow glanced at the man. _It did not work?_

" You have a mental shield?"

The man nodded shakily, too rattled to lie. He was seriously wounded from Yue's arrow, his robes soaked in red and one of his legs at an odd angle.

_Damn him to Hades, _Clow cursed. Mental shields are impervious to memory wipes. The Erase Card will do no good, and Clow did not trust this man to lower them himself. Even if his eyes did glow next time, Clow could not be sure the memory wipe was complete. They would have to eliminate the man.

Clow was still a Roman, and Romans did not cringe at blood. He summoned the Sword Card.

" What are you doing?" The man eyed the blade with hysterical eyes. " I–I told you everything, I swear!"

Syaoran, sensing the sword, straightened a bit from where he sat next to Yue.

" I know you did." Clow said quietly. " But I cannot have you running back to your prince."

" What are you doing?" Syaoran asked.

Clow did not answer him. He raised his sword.

" No!" The man shrieked, but Clow was already striking down, blade pointed at the man's throat.

Suddenly, the sword disappeared.

Clow looked up in alarm. Syaoran had his hand out.

" What are you doing?" Clow demanded, realizing the boy had suddenly displayed his nullifying powers. He had not done that ever since rescuing Clow from the Qin raid.

" You were going to kill him." The child said stiffly.

" To protect you." Clow said. " What did you do to the card?"

" It is here," Syaoran held the card up. Clow did not even see it fly to the boy earlier. The sorcerer he was interrogating had fainted from shock and trauma, and lay still and unmoving on the floor.

Clow held his hand out. The child shook his head. " No."

" Syaoran."

" No!" Syaoran suddenly cried. " I will not let you kill him!"

Were Daoists pacifists?

" Syaoran," Clow said gently, " If this man goes back to the prince, you could very well be dead by the next morning."

" You do not have to kill him for it!"

" Yes I do!" Clow was amazed. " You have killed before! Why are you getting soft now?"

Syaoran suddenly burst into tears.

Astonished, Clow stared at the weeping child for a long moment, at a loss as to what brought it on. Yue, distressed, went to Syaoran to console him, while thoughts whirled in Clow's mind. Why was Syaoran crying? He _has _killed before. This was nothing–

_This is execution._ Clow suddenly realized. Something completely different from killing in the heat of battle. No doubt, ten-year-old Syaoran had been haunted as much by what he had done as by what had been done to him. Clow had spoken callously.

" Syaoran," Clow sighed, approaching the child and gathering the boy into his arms. " I am sorry. I did not mean to say that."

It was too late. Syaoran was inconsolable. Clow kissed him on the head and tried to think, past all the panic these last few hours had caused.

" You have nothing to be ashamed of, alright?" He said to the boy. He was so young and small... " Nothing to be ashamed of. There is no one in the world I respect more than you. No more killing, alright? Not unless we really have to. You did nothing wrong. Hush," For Syaoran's sobs only grew more intense.

No wonder. This was something they had never addressed before.

Syaoran began wailing. He could not face his fellow guardians, his parents, his ancestors–he could not face his mentors and his friends, nor the gods. He would surely be banished to Fengdu when he dies and there were horrible things waiting there, trees made of knives and pits of molten lava. He did not want Clow to go there.

" No one is going to hell, Syaoran." Clow assured him. " You are definitely not going there, alright?" He pushed Syaoran at arm's distance and wiped the boy's cheeks, then remembered the child could not see. Sometimes with Syaoran's highly sensitive perception, it was easy to forget the boy was blind. He embraced the boy again. " You are the most amazing boy I have ever known." Funny how before this, he had never actually told Syaoran that. All these months, and he had not realized the boy was suffering from remorse of this kind. " The gods will love you as I do."

He had never told Syaoran that either; that he loved him. It made Syaoran pause. While the child wrapped his mind around that admission, Clow looked over at the unconscious hostage. So killing is no longer an option. What could he do?

As if sensing their master's trouble, Kero suggested, " We could take the bloke with us."

" He will slow us down." Clow instantly rejected that.

" He was probably not even here to hurt us." Yue pointed out. " He did not seem to know anything, and for all you know, the prince of Jin might have been looking for you to help him. That is not unreasonable."

" He was ransacking the village along with the rest." Clow replied. " Hardly a noble outlook."

" Well you cannot just let him go."

" We can freeze him here," Yue suggested. " By the time he wakes up, we would be long gone."

" That will have to do." Clow sighed. He looked down at Syaoran's still shuddering form. " Syaoran," He said gently, " Get your coat and sweaters. We have to move out of here."


	11. Chapter 11

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 11

There were very few actual belongings to take. Flying was not an option with the sorcerers so close by, so they had to go by foot. Every now and then, they would sense a spark of aura as the sorcerers searched for them. By the third day, Syaoran was deathly hungry, and Clow was lost. He did not know which way he should go, not without flying up in the air to take a look at the landscape.

Fortunately, there was no rain, so the struggle was bearable. Kero and Yue provided sharp eyes and ears, and they had several close brushes with both soldiers and magicians, that were only that, because of how skillful the guardians were.

Knowing they were both safer if separated, but unwilling to leave the child, Clow left Syaoran often in Yue's care while he scouted ahead by himself. Flying all the way to Europe was too much of a trip, or else he would have called for help. He had so many friends there that could help them.

They would have to do this alone though. Clow sighed, thankful that at least Syaoran had him and the guardians. No doubt the child would survive anyhow, but he did not want to imagine what the child would have to do if he were all alone in the world.

oO

Mian was furious.

" Clow is a peaceful man." He said. " You would not fare well to force him into joining our ranks. The loss was your fault."

Incensed, the Prince snapped. " You seem to misunderstand your position here."

" You seem to as well." Mian replied. " I am the sorcerer here."

The Prince glared at him. " Do you threaten me?"

" Merely a reminder, Your Highness, to be wise."

The two men held each other's eyes for a while.

" Find Clow." The Prince said. " Find me that boy."

Mian was silent for a while. He knew, in his mind now, the prince was neither after Clow nor after any sort of aid that could help him defeat the Qin or win back his kingdom. He wanted the Dao Guardian. The man was as conniving as they came. He wondered if he was even telling the truth about being ostracized. Perhaps this prince was banished because of his own treachery and not of his brothers'.

Still, Mian had his own reasons to look for Clow. Jin's resources could prove invaluable in finding the sorcerer.

" I will find them." Mian said. " But we do things my way, this time."

Jin looked at him for a moment, scrutinizing, before giving a brisk wave. " Fine." He said.

And Mian was dismissed.

As a small town sorcerer, Mian did not win the respect of the sorcerers at first, but Clow had befriended him for a reason. His raw magic was formidable, and he wasted no time making it apparent. Barbarians respected courage and strength, the strength to crush opposition. To be lenient was considered a weakness, and after seeing everyone he knew slaughtered and himself tortured by Qin sorcerers, Mian was no longer in any shape to be lenient. His style was evident on the men, who bore the marks of their training and drills.

Clow was staying low on the ground, literally. This would make him harder to trace, but he would not be able to move far. He ordered sorcerers to cover a radius of the house that would contain the maximum distance Clow could possibly travel with the child. Then he sent scouts in. The scouts were meant only to observe and track, not to interfere. They were to report directly to him.

Within days they had a lead. Clow was heading west, toward the Himalayas. He probably did not know the landscape well enough to realize there was no way he could trek across those mountains back to Europe, but that was hardly important now that Mian knew where he was.

He ordered the soldiers to set off. The Prince of Jin did not know.

oO

Qin knew as well as any other King that punishments were just that. They can be severe, they can be mauling, but the point is for the living, not for the dead. Of course, he was no opposer of the death penalty; plenty of generals and marshals were beheaded for failures in battle; but for someone like Kwak, he needed the man alive for future use. And Kings do nothing better than use people.

Kwak was a physically frail man. He had great magical powers, but his endurance of pain and suffering were lamentable. The beating, and a night in prison, was all that was needed to reteach him some humility.

Having recovered a worthy member of his forces, the King of Qin sent Kwak out to annihilate other opposing forces. There were fewer battles now, and much of the war consisted of strained political negotiations between the more powerful kingdoms. Qin, aware that all kingdoms were uniting and viewing him as a sole threat, was not very worried about the danger of alliances. He sent Kwak and his troops to stir ill-will between kingdoms and sat back and relaxed. Part of the war must be viewed as a spectator to be won.

Kwak, for his part, tackled his tasks with gusto. For a while, he gave up the mission to find the famous Daoist pills in favor of helping Qin weaken his enemies. In fact, he did not formally dispatch any sorcerers to trace the boy or his newfound guardians, and his sister, who had gone missing ever since he had been punished and imprisoned for his failures, never had a chance to report to him any findings, and he never tried to look for her. The news of sorcerer activity came to him completely by accident. Magical auras, circling around the Himalayas; the spells were searching and scouting spells, meant to locate individuals and warm-blooded creatures as well as magical essences.

Reminding him of his past passion, Kwak struggled with whether or not he should make the same mistake he had earlier. However, this time, he was not just blindly looking around for clues. He had a lead now, and why allow someone else to take the pills? That would surely be just as dangerous to his well-being. He made the decision. A group of 50 sorcerers were to ride over to the Himalayas and intercept whatever sorcerers that might capture the Dao Guardian. Then they were to bring the child straight here. Kwak will continue to supervise the guerrilla attacks on the current kingdom, Yan, until then.

oO

Syaoran had fallen sick. The stress of constant travel wore him down, not to mention it had started to rain, continuously. Yue and Kero, who did not understand the concept of illness, treated Syaoran with extra protectiveness. Yue would carry the child while Kero rested on Syaoran's shoulder to keep track of the boy's condition.

This was fine. Clow did not have Yue's strength, even if he occasionally wished he could carry the boy instead. The guardian was meant to be that way; in some areas less than human, in others, more. Not to mention, seeing Yue so fond of the child made Clow more optimistic about his own plans for the boy. One day when Clow dies, Yue would call Syaoran his master, and the relationship may lessen the hurt the guardians may feel when the time comes.

Syaoran, however, was less than happy with the whole situation. He kept worrying that, in his condition, he was much more helpless than he would prefer, something Clow could sympathize. Syaoran could not complain very much, however. Most of the time he remained asleep in Yue's arms, and though the rain made the air chilly and wet, Yue kept Syaoran warm and Kero always scouted ahead in his small form to find shelter.

As Mian predicted, Clow was not familiar enough with the landscape to realize just how much of a barrier the mountains were. He had been hoping to cross the portal barrier by folding over the mountains, but it was too much for him to handle. The guardians could probably cross it, but he could not, nor could the child, for if they remain on foot it would take weeks, and taking in the weather and the general climate of the plateaus, it would be a struggle indeed. He decided to head south, towards the sea, where they could probably cross the ocean and portal off there.

Unfortunately, both Qin and Jin came upon them the same night. Clow had made a low fire outside a large tree that had been hollowed out by some animal. Yue rested inside with Syaoran while Kero remained outside to help Clow. It was starting to drizzle yet again, and Clow worried that the rain would cause the fire to smoke too much. They did not hear the horses approach at all, and did not even realize the danger until they were surrounded.

It was both Jin and Qin.

" Hand over the boy!" Cried the lead Qin sorcerer.

" Who goes there?"

Clow turned at the voice. He recognized it. " Master Mian?" He called out. " Is that you?"

" Stand down, Master Li!" Mian replied. " You! Who are you?" He demanded of the Qin sorcerer.

" The child belongs to us!" Cried the leader, ignoring the question. " Stand aside!"

Mian suddenly gave a brief wave. Clow watched in shock as the sorcerers behind him assembled their horses. Without even chanting, spells suddenly burst from their ranks. Kero pushed his master down as the spells flew past. The horses screamed as the attacks hit.

" At them!" Cried the Qin sorcerer, who had not fallen off his horse, and their ranks drew their swords. Clow dashed to the tree as the two sides met.

In Yue's arms, Syaoran was terrified.

" Come out!" Clow urged, but he sensed an oncoming attack and twisted sideways. The blade stabbed where his torso had been. The swordsman slashed at him. He fell back; the ground was wet and did not support his attempt to dodge. Kicking upwards, he managed to push the man back a few steps, but as he rolled over to get to his feet, he fell forward as suddenly, pain exploded in his back. Syaoran screamed and dashed to the man's side as a sorcerer pulled the bloody blade from Clow's body. The man stabbed the blade forward, meaning to point it at the boy's throat, but the child grabbed the blade and pulled, forcing the man toward him. In one motion, he slammed his hand into the man's core and screamed.

All of the sorcerers suddenly stopped as the air seemed to suddenly suck in on itself, leaving a vacuum, and then fill up again. The sorcerer's blade broke in half and the man stumbled to the side, eyes wide. Syaoran held a hand to Clow's wound while watching all the sorcerers in turn. The bonfire crackled in the sudden silence.

" What just happened?" The Qin sorcerer demanded. " What did you do, boy?"

" Is it not obvious?" Mian replied coolly. On his face was a smear of blood. " The child is a nullifier. He has nullified one of your sorcerers. He is useless now."

Clow was trying to get to his feet. Kero had morphed into his true form and stood guard. Yue had also left the hollow, one of his wings partially covering the child and his master.

" A nullifier!" The sorcerer cried. " No wonder you survived. No matter. You were caught once, we will catch you again."

" Not so fast!" Mian cried out, his staff shooting a blaze of light to intercept the Qin force. The sorcerers retaliated, and the air was again filled with spells and splashes of blood. Instant deaths, pain, slicing of limbs as sword meets flesh, cutting of hands and arms as spells collide and did their jobs. Incantations lost in the patter of rain, horses slipping, close calls. They could not stay here!

" Father!" Syaoran shouted over the chaos, " Father get up, please!"

" I am," Clow staggered unsteadily to his feet, leaning heavily on Kero and Syaoran. " We have to get out of here while they are still busy." His voice was quiet. He was bleeding heavily from his back.

" Master!" Yue took Clow's arm just as a stray spell headed their way once again. It disappeared just inches from Clow's chest.

" We have to go!" Yue cried, pulling at Clow, leading him away from the fray. Syaoran climbed onto Kero's back.

" Stop them!" The Qin sorcerer shouted. " Do not let them get away!"

At this, a flare of ice bolts and lightning dashed their way. Syaoran nullified both as Yue and Kero took off into the skies. He slumped forward on Kero.

" Hurry!" Clow cried. " We do not have much time! We have to cross the mountains, fast! Before they unblock the portals!"

Kero and Yue complied. The ground fell away as they zoomed into the air and the wind carried them faster than they had ever flown before—but it was too late; the commotion, not to mention their flight in the air, had already alerted the other sorcerers. They had not even crossed the mountain before a heavy spell suddenly neutralized both guardians' wings. Down they all plummeted.

Syaoran saved them again, casting a strange spell that seemed to be an invisible string which hung from the sky, which slowed or stopped their fall so long as Syaoran was holding on to it, but his grip slipped and they fell again. He recast the spell and once again their descent was halted, but Syaoran had no more strength. Yue and Kero tried to find the string; they could not, and down they went again. Yue circled under Clow while Kero braced himself as they crashed into the wet mud. Clow cried out in pain as the fall jarred his wound.

As soon as they fell they were surrounded by riders, dark and imposing in the night. It had started to rain in earnest and thunder cracked ominously in the sky. Clow harnessed the power of Rain through his card and forced one side out into the fields. Yue and Kero, both winded, had no time to react to this advantage. The sorcerers fired spells back. Clow used Mirror to reflect them back, then used the Earth Card. The horses screeched as the ground split and the dirt rose from beneath to crush the riders and their mounts.

" Kero!" Clow cried, " Get Syaoran out!"

Kero hesitated.

" Hurry!" Clow cried. " You have to..."

He did not even feel the pain intensify. The shock came before the pain and darkness closed over him. Its master unconscious, the Earthy dispelled and flew back to its master.

Syaoran was worn out too. He was sick and he had just neutralized five or so spells, not to mention completely nullifying someone's magic. He grabbed the Earthy Card however, and tried to summon it. It could not obey. He was simply too weak to power it now.

The sorcerers yelled something at Syaoran. He could not understand it. However, the next words were clear. They were uttered by a woman.

" We can do this the easy way, boy." She said. " Give in easy and we will make sure your fellow lives. Do this the hard way and we will not care for his well-being."

Syaoran spat at her voice, hatred boiling in his veins. " Pitiless whore!" He shouted, words uncommon for a child his age–but he had his share of suffering. " Go to hell!"

" I may not have to." Said the woman coyly. " As for whore; I heard you were very satisfactory in that field."

Kero growled at this. He did not understand, but he did not need to in order to realize that was an insult to the boy.

Hatred pushing all other thoughts aside, Syaoran reached out and sent a neutralizing wave. The woman, not expecting this, did not have a chance to dodge. Her horse reared and Syaoran could hear her falling, and her resulting scream.

" I have more of those yet!" Syaoran cried to those standing nearby, and he could feel their presences retreat in caution. Actually, he was bluffing completely; he did not have any more energy to neutralize anyone at this point. Struggling to maintain appearances, he held his ready stance anyway, palms facing outwards, ready to give it his all.

A yell broke through the thundering rain. The Qin forces had broken through Mian's. They raced ahead and without a preamble, fired spells. Poison spells, lightning, bleeding and cold, heat and wind. The mounts surrounding the wretched guardians faltered and fell, throwing their riders off. The Qin horses raced over. Two pikes stabbed through Syaoran's torso before he could even react, and lifted him onto the mount of the rider carrying the weapon.

" We got the boy!" The sorcerer shouted. Yue, panicking, shot crystals at the sorcerer, who had his back turned. The crystals stabbed through and the rider dropped Syaoran and fell, crushing the boy. Kero gave a mighty roar and leaped at the horses, who, spooked, threw off their riders as they reared up to halt their course and turn sharply back. In the pouring rain the horses kicked up wet splashes of mud and the guardians fought to retake Syaoran and keep the other sorcerers at bay. Fire. Wind. Water. Elements that made up magic. Flashes of iron. Flashes of copper and bronze. Clangs of blades and wood and animals shrieking. Blood and organs, black in the night and glistening. Auras flaring. Pain and frenzy, and fear.

Then a mighty wave. It was so powerful it crushed both guardian's down to the wet earth, and then just like that, half of the horses were gone. Syaoran's blood still pooled where he had been crushed. The pikes were gone with him. They had lost Syaoran. All of the riders then disappeared, and the they were left alone in the rain and the flashes of lightning and thunder roaring in disapproval.

Through all this Clow was unconscious.


	12. Chapter 12

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 12

At first Syaoran thought the past few months had been a dream. The dusty smell, the quiet inside, and outside, the murmur of men and horses and mules, were all hardly different from months ago. In a way, this made everything worse; at the end of the long two years he had practically forgotten what it felt like to be safe, to be cared for, to be protected, and now, after experiencing such luxuries, to be thrown back into this state, made the winter seem like a cruel prank by the gods. It all felt too real to be a dream. He had almost been hopeful. In fact, he had been hopeful; there was no use denying it.

" Awake at last." Said a voice that sounded faintly familiar. " You have cost me quite a bit, Dao Guardian."

Syaoran shifted a little. He realized he was upright, on his knees, his arms out diagonally and cuffed by chains. He pulled a little. They did not give. They did not even rattle the way chains did; they were too tightly stretched. He tried to move his head. It felt heavy, and something was around his neck. A magic-binding collar.

" Now," The voice continued, " I really do not want to hurt you. So small, it would be a pity. But what must be done must be done, and it is all up to you, little one, to determine _how _it is done."

Syaoran did not even bother asking what he wanted. " Go fuck yourself."

A clucking noise. " Such dirty language. Your mentors surely taught you better manners than that."

" You are not so courteous yourself." Syaoran spat. He jerked at the chains, ignoring the pain. " Let me go!"

" That can be arranged." The voice said without reaction. " Tell me where the pills are, and we will let you return to your kindly guardian and his baby lion.

" You know that never works." Syaoran gritted his teeth. " You can never make me tell you."

" Correction." The voice replied. " It _has _not worked. Very different from never; never is a long time, is it not? Unless you yourself stole some of the immortal pills."

Syaoran glared ahead defiantly.

The voice chuckled. " No need to be so defensive, little one. A child with such a will." Here a bit of admiration. " Would not succumb to such temptation. But here, let me put things into perspective for you."

Suddenly, hands grabbed his body. Shuddering in terror, Syaoran tried to shake them off, but he had no leverage. He tried to get to his feet, but the hands held him down. Memories of past rape made him break out in cold sweat. Something cold and metallic was laid against his wrist. He tried to summon a spell. The collar squashed it down and made him feel ill.

" You are a tough nut to crack, so I will cut to the chase." The voice said. " I will ask the question. Each time you refuse to answer, I will saw part of you off. First, the hand, then, the forearm, then, the rest of your arm. Then the other. And if we run out, we will go to the legs. You see, I have plenty of time on my hands. Now, where are the pills?"

Tears of fright leaking from his eyes, the poor child cried out, " They are at the Sun's Origin! Some islands off the east coast! The peaches there were said to be flat–if you find the forest you find the pills!"

The blade lifted. " Check if he is telling the truth." The voice commanded.

Horror filled Syaoran's stomach as the spell circled him and he could sense it return negative. " No, no," He whimpered, " The spell's wrong, you are doing it wrong,"

" Tsk tsk, little Dao Guardian." He started thrashing, but the hands held his body still and the chain left his arm exposed. The horrible blade, jagged and sharp, laid against his wrist again. " You should not have done that."

It slid. Syaoran screamed.

oO

" Get up!" Taka shook Clow harshly. Clow groaned. His back was sore. He looked up at her a little stupidly.

She slapped his face. " Get up!" She repeated. " You sorry excuse of a man! We do not have much time!"

Clow took a moment to collect his bearings. What happened? Why is Taka here? Where is Syaoran?

" Get up!" Taka cried again, just as Clow suddenly remembered. They were attacked. They were fought over. Syaoran–where is he?

" Syaoran?" Clow jerked to his feet. His back complained and he suddenly remembered he had been stabbed. No matter now–where is the child?

" Caught!" Taka cried. " You miserable wretch! You think your guardians are enough for experienced sorcerers?"

_What?_ Clow suddenly felt a wave of cold chill over his body.

" Powerful sorcerer indeed!" Taka grabbed his arm with amazing strength. " You cannot even protect a wretched ten-year-old! Now hurry up, damn you!"

His guardians came to support him a bit. Yue looked panicked, Kero was in his true form, and the moon guardian helped Clow mount Kero. Taka watched with impatience.

" Who took him? Where?" Clow cried. " What about Mian?"

" Mian is already after him!" Taka hissed. " And if you think he has good intentions, you are a bigger fool than I thought! I won't say this again! _Hurry the hell up!"_

She took off in the darkness. Clow felt Kero's wet fur and realized it had stopped raining. The guardians went after Taka, having no choice; they had no idea where Syaoran was. Yue flew forward and offered to carry her. Since he was faster, Taka wordlessly grabbed Yue's arms as he held them down to her. They took to the dark skies.

_I failed. _Clow thought despairingly. He had failed, miserably. In the end it was Syaoran who was saving him, instead of the other way around. His mind flashed with images of when they first met; Syaoran, bloody and unreal in his resolve, distrusting, hurting, darkness gnawing his heart, hopeless but forced to continue on by duty alone. Killing, blood, murder. He was only ten-years-old, and terrified that he would go to hell for his crimes.

" Where are we going?" Clow cried. " How do you know where he is?"

" I know who took him, you idiot!" Taka yelled back.

" Who?" Clow asked.

" The Qin!"

The Qin? They will never reach the child in time! Dread clawed at Clow's gut. What would those sorcerers do to get the pills? If only they had chosen their site more carefully! If only he had ignored the child and killed the man! Certainly, the child's state of mind at the time is not as important as his state of well-being? What could they do? This is impossible!

" Make haste!" Yue had brought Taka beside Clow now. " If we make haste, he might still be alive!"

_They could kill him...!_

oO

As the sun rose over the horizon the horses stampeded across the plains from the portal. It closed as soon as the last of the infantry ran through. The ranks lined up, flags whipping in the wind, Mian in front with the Prince of Jin. Behind the ranks the drummers were ready.

" Hear ye!" Cried the Prince of Jin to his sorcerers and soldiers. " The Qin have taken what is ours! Show that you are men and fight to win it back! The more heads slain the more land you get!"

The men cheered, and the prince gave the signal. The drummers started, a roaring over the wind, and the soldiers charged forward, past Mian, past the Prince, toward the walls of the Qin fort. High up, the archers had barely assembled in time to shoot down. A rain of arrows descended, many missing, some hitting true, but the Jin climbed up the walls fearlessly and brandished their swords.

The Prince of Jin watched in earnest, as Mian slipped from his horse and mingled in the multitude, unnoticed. When the Prince turned to look at Mian, he discovered an empty horse.

" Where is Mian?!"

" What is going on?" The King of Qin asked from his study. " Who is attacking?"

" The Jin!" Cried a soldier. " The former Crowned Prince! He leads the din!"

" What?" The King choked, nearly laughing out loud. " He thinks he can overwhelm this fortress?"

" They are concentrating their forces at the mages!"

" Mages?" That could mean they were trying to weaken the army as a whole, with the mages good for boosting the soldiers. Somehow, however, Qin doubted that. He instantly recalled Kwak.

" Get Kwak here! _Now!_"

Outside, Clow and Taka had finally arrived. Far below everyone was so covered in mud that Clow could not even tell at first if they were human. But the armies were human, or at least they were human on the outside. They lashed at each other like lunatics, fighting for their lives, the key to their survival mainly killing as many of those around them as they possibly could.

" Where is the child?" Taka asked.

" I thought you knew where he was!"

" I cannot sense him!" Taka spat back. " I can only sense–" She suddenly yanked Yue's arms apart and allowed herself to fall.

" Taka!" Clow could, but the woman was already on the ground. She stayed there for a moment, a single dot to the side of the chaos, before Clow saw her briskly moving toward the wall. She seemed fine.

" Definitely not mortal." Kero said out loud, though he guessed that already. He closed his eyes. Syaoran's presence was completely hidden from him. What did Taka say she could sense again?

Yue was already diving. Kero hung above, reluctant to follow.

" Where is Yue going?" Clow asked.

" I do not know. Following Taka, I think."

" Go after them!"

They dove.

In the dusty, cold chamber, the messenger opened the door unceremoniously.

" Master Kwak," He called out.

Syaoran could barely hear. " Please..." He whispered, face pale as sheet and nearly swooning, " Stop, let me go, please, in the name of all that is holy..."

The messenger took a look at the child. He had lost an entire arm; blood was still pouring from his shoulder where it was, and jagged flesh and bits of white bone. Half of one of his legs was also gone, blood dripping more slowly. On the table to the side was a hand, a forearm and an arm, a bloody foot and a lower calf. The room reeked of blood and urine. He gagged and bent over, but his eyes had traveled back to Syaoran and could not leave the miserable child.

" What is it?" Kwak demanded impatiently. " I am working here!"

" We are under attack!" The man could hardly believe he could speak. " The Jin! His Majesty wants to see you! Now!"

" Oh for god's sake," Kwak threw the bloody saw to the straw hay. " Of all times to attack. Did you hear him begging? Did you? He is cracking."

There were other sorcerers in the room. Kwak turned to them. " Keep him as he is. Do not do anything until I get back."

The child was weeping in torment. The messenger glanced at the sorcerers, then back at the child. The boy was so small.

Kwak left the tent.

Kero managed to dodge a stunning spell as they landed. Clow had enough. He drew the Firey Card and set the world ablaze. Matching his own fury, the spirit dove mercilessly among the ranks and all was sizzling smoke and burnt flesh. Frightened by this spirit, the soldiers fell back in awe. Clow added the Earth spirit for good measure, and it reared from the ground in a horrible ominous statue of death before diving straight for the soldiers. The more crushed, the more pleased its master would be, and Clow was in a murderous rage. Yue and Kero, too, sensing their master's anger, and feeling their own desperation, showed no mercy. It did not matter which side the soldiers were on. Corpses scattered the ground like dead weeds. Stench of murder and fear. Clow descended like a reaper of doom.

" Where is Syaoran?" He bellowed, and released Thunder into the mix as well. It howled to the side, equally angry, and zipped through, frying the soldiers in its wake into crisp black ash. Clow Reed was usually a peaceful man, just as women were peaceful creatures. He had a child to protect, a child to get back, a child to save. " Answer me!"

The sorcerers stared in horror. Clow's spells were broad-ranged, killing hundreds at once, thousands, and the spirits obeying his command knew no more mercy than he. Limbs flew up in the air from the force. Humans were such frail beings. Bits of armor and leather rained from the sky as more and more people died; water, blood, juices, mucus, horses flailing and dismembered by bloodlust. The front wall of the fortress exploded and took with it all that were in front, behind, and on top. The chunks of rock and debris crushed all below that could not dodge.

" We do not have this Syaoran!" Cried the sorcerers on both sides. Clow saw nothing but red and heard nothing but a roar in his ears.

" Hand him to me!" Clow cried.

" He is at the west dungeon!" One voice shrieked out to him. " The boy is in the west dungeon!"

Clow swung his staff. His robes were darkened, soaked in blood and covered with torn flesh and organs. A finger landed on his face, but he did not blink. He glared at the young wizard trembling a few feet away from him. " Lead me to the dungeon!"

oO

Despite the show of confidence, Kwak was actually terrified of the King's wrath. But Qin's reaction surprised him.

" Head back to the dungeons!" He cried. " They are after the child, do not give them the child! The other sorcerers should handle them well enough."

Suddenly, before Kwak could reply, the doors burst open.

" You." The woman said, and aimed a sword at Kwak's throat. The King sat, speechless. A swirl of spell surrounded her and her form melted away to reveal a familiar figure Kwak instantly recognized.

" Sister!" Kwak blinked. " You are alive?"

" You did not bother making sure." Lady Kwak replied. She lowered her sword. " I could not find you."

" I was busy."

" Enough!" The King rose. " I told you to go take care of the boy!"

The two siblings glanced at each other.

" Let us go." Kwak said.

" Yes." His sister replied.

They bowed to the King and took their leave.

Once outside, Kwak turned to his sister. " Where have you been?" He asked.

" Where have you?" She returned.

" We lost the southeastern stronghold."

" I noticed." She said dryly. " When I headed back, the Qin were all gone and replaced by other flags. I could not tell which; there was a battle, and I stayed only long enough to see that neither side bore the Qin banner."

" Then where did you go?"

" Back to where I found the child." Said Lady Kwak ruefully.

" You did not try to take him?"

" I could not."

Sensing more to her answer, Kwak turned to her. " You are a match for Clow Reed, should he be on his guard."

" But not both." She replied. " And the child was terrified of me."

" In that guise?"

" In that guise." She spat. " You should give the boy more credit. What have you done to him?"

Kwak slowed to a halt. They had been walking briskly down the hall, but at her tone he was forced to stop. " Why do you care what I did to him?" He asked. " I am not stupid enough to kill him. You know that."

" Yes." Said she. " I know that very well."

She began to move again, but Kwak caught her arm.

" Then what did you mean?" He asked.

She turned to him, a strange look in her eyes. " I know what you do, Brother. You torture and maim. Have you done that already?"

He let go of her arm, understanding finally dawning upon him, as well as shock.

" You never cared before."

" I never had to care for any of your prisoners before." She spat. " Let us see how much damage you have done."

Sensing danger from her direction, Kwak summoned his staff and blocked it in her way. She was his sister. He was not willing to kill her. Yet. " What do you intend to do?" He hissed.

She drew back wordlessly.

" We have worked too hard for this." He insisted.

" Indeed." She said. " I had never been so disappointed in my life."

He had no response for that, but when she moved forward again, he reinforced the block.

" Let me pass." She glared at him. " What do you have to hide?"

" I have nothing to hide."

" Then you can tell me now, what I can expect to find."

He tightened his lips, but refused to speak.

She turned from him. He grabbed her arm again. Enraged now, she whirled around, and Kwak found himself stumbling back from the force of the spell.

Shocked that his own sister turned against him this way, he quickly grew angry, and a spell formed in his hand as well. He pushed the spell forward at her. She bent gracefully to the side to dodge, and a flare of red spells shot toward him in response.

There was a sudden scream, filled with agony and terror that it chilled the heart. It echoed through the hall and on the walls like a haunted ghost come to life. It lasted long, repeating, and Lady Kwak, hearing this, renewed her attacks with greater frenzy. Kwak, angered even more by her aggression, blocked her attacks and flung harsher spells. He was no longer going to hold back. Sister or not, no one was going to help the child.

It did not cross his mind that he had left orders to leave the child alone until he returned to the chamber.

oO

The sorcerer led Clow to two large gates, where the man stopped abruptly. Impatient, Clow swung his staff threateningly. " Well?" He demanded. " Is that it?"

" No!" The sorcerer whispered, face pale with fear. " That, that is the King's quarters."

" The King's quarters?" Dumbfounded, Clow surrendered to curiosity in favor of anger. " Why have you led me here?"

" The dungeons for the child are in the back." Said the sorcerer, stuttering. " Only the most trusted magicians and marshals are allowed there, and the King himself.

Clow did a double-take. Dungeons near the King's quarters? He did not imagine that was very prudent. Well, if this sorcerer dared to lie to him, he would just kill the man and find the child himself. That was highly doubtful as well; he could not imagine any servant in his right mind bringing the enemy straight to his master…unless the King himself was a sorcerer?

" Open the doors." He commanded.

But before the sorcerer could obey, the doors opened by themselves, and out stepped the King himself.

The King, for his part, seemed as surprised by this development as Clow himself. For a moment, the two men regarded each other warily.

" You must be the famous Clow Li." Said Qin, taking in the other's facial features and pale complexion.

Clow did not return the courtesy. " Where is my child?" He demanded, staff held forward and pulsing with magic, ready to fire.

_" Your_ child?" The King remarked. " He is as much mine as yours."

" No." Clow shook his head firmly. " He is not yours. I took care of him. I protected him. Your sorcerers stole him from me. Return him to me now, or I will blow this place to pieces."

" Even if the child is here?" Qin cocked an eyebrow.

In no mood for games, Clow summoned Woody silently. The vines and branches snaked out of the ground and circled the man's neck, then crushed him to the wall and squeezed.

" You think you are being funny?" Clow hissed, leaning over to the man. " Come on, laugh." He shook the branches, which shook the King.

Qin clawed at his neck where the wood pinned him, then, abruptly, Clow let him go.

" Take me to him." He commanded the sorcerer that had led him here in the first place.

" I…I don't have the key…"

" Hades!" Clow exclaimed, turning angrily to the doors, and sent Earthy to rock from the floor into the door; but there were magical barriers that even the powerful Clow Card could not strip down. He tried blasting the nearby walls, the floors, the ceilings, but the King's quarters were well shielded. Desperate with panic, and sensing more and more, as time went by, that something had gone terribly wrong, that Syaoran could either be dead or dying, for a moment terror overwhelmed him, and the sorcerer dropped to his knees and broke into sobs.

The guardians, understanding the desperation of the situation, but not the intensity, remained by their master in both dread and confusion. Clow quickly collected himself; he was not the type to succumb to self-pity for long, and whirled on the first sorcerer that brought him here. " There must be another way! Show me!"

" There is none." Said the King. " However, I will let you pass." He drew the key from within his robes.

Startled by the change in luck, Clow could only watch, dumbly, as the King moved, with great composure, to the doors that separated his quarters from the dungeons. A click, a turn, and another click; the doors opened without a sound. A piercing cry, high and shrill, stabbed through the open barriers.

" Syaoran!" Clow cried, wasting no time dashing into the halls. He did not even look behind to make sure the guardians followed him, nor take notice that the King and his men were also streaming after him, equally distressed by the scream. Through the dark halls lighted with torches, he could hear the sound of swords, and spells hitting the walls and bouncing back, flashes of light of metal and glows of auras and shadows moving quickly.

" Master Li!" Cried the woman as he came upon them. " Aid me!"

Who was she? He did not know. For a moment he skidded to a halt, but Yue darted forward and crystals shot out of his hands without warning at Kwak. Clow, recognizing the man from the dim torchlight, also formed his resolve.

Kwak, seeing that he was grossly outnumbered, tried to run, but Kero had leaped forward before he could take a step toward the deeper dungeons, and his jaws closed and his teeth dug into the man's throat. The woman did a double take, but she turned then toward the deeper dungeons, where the child was no longer screaming.

" Hurry!" She cried, beckoning once with her hand before dashing off. The King had caught up, his sword in his hand. He raced ahead first, and Clow followed behind. They ran through so fast that the torchlights zipped into lines, down and to the left as the hall curved and then to the right. Suddenly, the two ahead of him stopped abruptly, and Clow also slowed, barely managing not to crash into the King in front of him. There was someone blocking their path.

" You are too late." Said a familiar voice, filled with an unfamiliar malice.

Clow had to think for a long moment before he recognized the man; he seemed so altered. " Mian Teng?"

The flames flickered as the man laughed, his cackles filled with that kind of mad hysteria of those who lost their minds. " He has got it!" He cried, " He has got it, that little son of a bitch, he finally got it!"

" What did you do to him?" The woman asked lowly, voice filled with apprehension.

Mian's laughtered died down abruptly. " I killed him." And he grinned, a grin that looked like the grin of wolves catching their prey. " I gave him his just desserts."

" What just desserts?" Clow blinked, not understanding at all.

" You must see," Mian's voice changed dramatically into that of one trying to persuade a young child, " Of course you do. You are all wise, wise folk. You have seen what normal mortals cannot see. You must see that he is the cause of all this."

What? " What did he cause?" Clow asked, thinking that the man had lost his wits somehow.

" The war!" Mian cried. " Wherever he goes, countries are destroyed!" And his eyes narrowed with a bright, fierce gleam. " My wife, my children, my comrades, my _King, _the life I knew, the life they had, all gone because_ this child lured Evil to us!_" His voice crescendoed at the end to a roar—and then he suddenly seemed to calm. " So did you, hm, Master Li?" He began to move forward, and despite themselves, the King and the woman stepped back. " You were the reason too. You kept the child's identity from us. Had we killed him, the sorcerers would not have targeted us. Our nation would not have been wiped out. Centuries, millennia of history, we had, culture, stories, families, ancestry—_gone,_ just like that."

" No." Clow said sadly, realizing what was wrong with this man. " You and I both knew, Master Mian. We have had that conversation before, remember? The Qin will win. The Qin was destined to win. You knew as well as I."

" Yes!" Mian thundered, and his aura pulsed as he began to cast a spell, " But we were not _destined to die!"_

Clow summoned the Shield Card just in time. The wave of spell was intense, its power nearly shattering the card's own barrier. The shield actually bent inward, and as everyone took cover behind the rocks, fearing the shield would give, the barrier suddenly bounced back out, reflecting the shield. They heard a blood-curdling scream, and the torches went out, leaving everyone in darkness.

Summoning the Light Card, Clow looked at the body of his former friend and ally. He had been reduced to nothing but crisp and ash.

" I have failed you, Mian Teng." He said softly. " I am sorry."

Everyone else moved from behind the walls into the light. Clow looked up to the rest of the hall where Mian had been blocking.

_Syaoran!_

He dashed forward suddenly. The room was just ahead. He did not even think about what he might find there. It was just so important to get into that room, where he knew his little boy was, where he knew—

And he burst through the doors.


	13. Chapter 13

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 13

The air was thick with the stench of blood. Upon a far wall, a whole assortment of tools, almost beautiful in their variety, hung, clean and gleaming. On the other side of the room was a long table with more assorted tools, and part of an arm and leg.

Clow had seen such things in Rome; courses in anatomy used cadavers retrieved from the gallows for their work—but the limbs were short and small and blood, though mostly clotted, was still trickling from the mangled flesh. For a long moment the implication did not register in his brain, and he stared at the two dismembered limbs in a kind of stupor uncharacteristic of the normally composed and refined man.

" Where is the child?" The woman asked.

And then Clow noticed the lead blocks.

It stretched eight feet in length and six feet in width, two blocks, one on the floor covered in red stains and another covered with an assembly of wheels and pulleys and levers. The child was nowhere to be seen. He was not beyond the blocks, nor anywhere near it. In a vain hope, Clow looked up to the ceiling, wishing that Mian had been merciful enough, in his madness, to hang the child from the ceiling instead; but the child was not there.

There was no aura to trace, but it was clear where Syaoran was.

Clow doubled over as a wave of nausea washed over him. Lady Kwak stepped to a lever Clow did no see and began to pull on it. The King followed suit, and Yue caught up, entering the room and heading straight to his master in concern.

" Where is Syaoran?" The guardian asked, and as he spoke, Kerberus also peaked through the door, sniffing and shaking himself in dismay. As Lady Kwak and the King pulled on the lever, the distinct sound of bone crunching, or uncrunching, as it were, resonated dully in the room. Clow felt like he was going to faint. He looked up a little to stare at the dismembered hand. The blood had dried a little, but it still glistened in the torchlight.

" He is dead." Said the woman, in a tone that did not leave any room for doubt. Yue glanced up to see. Clow kept his eyes closed, and he heaved, a mix of sobbing and sickness.

A long grim silence followed. The King regarded the corpse with some discomposure. Even his stomach of steel found it somewhat hard to take in the atrocity that happened to this child. The corpse was no longer identifiable. It had been crushed, under the lead weight, relentlessly, until all shape was lost. The only thing that remained was a mangled birthmark on what used to be a forehead, now visible to all with the sorcerer passed away. Bits of skin and flesh clung to the bottom of the upper block. Blood from burst vessels, burst organs, mixed flesh, some clear fluids from who knows where, mixing with the red. The more flexible ribs rose upward somewhat as the pressure lifted from them. Brain, oozing out from the cracks in the skull.

" Master Mian was thorough in his work." Said Qin quietly.

Clow gasped for breath, because his vision was beginning to tunnel in. Syaoran's last moments, perhaps, begging, reduced to begging, no doubt, but his tormentor wanted nothing but his death and there was no way the child could avoid it. Crushing, crushing, and no way to get out. All alone in the darkness.

Wild thoughts flew in the man's head. He hated the Chinese. He hated Asians. He hated Chinese sorcerers, Korean sorcerers, that wretched man who was not mentally strong enough to hold on to his conscience. They were all animals, fiends, evil demons, with their slanted, scheming slit eyes and their yellow skin and hearts as dirty as the Yellow River, their pretentious silks and satins and ostentatious curtains of beads and bloody ways and he wished to all the gods above that all the people would be thrown to Hell.

_But Syaoran is Chinese. Syaoran is Chinese. The greatest jewel in the world is Chinese. _Hatred, hatred, those fools, those bastards—

He screamed.

oO

_" Save him, Master!"_

_" He was crushed flat, Kerberus."_

_" So? Can you not just put more water back?"_

_" He has lost a lot more than water, Yue."_

_" But if you cannot save him, who can?"_

_" No one can. He is dead."_

Rome went about as if nothing happened. The horses nickered and whinnied in the streets and people stood on tall wooden buckets yelling out deals for shops and stores. The sun shone gayly upon the many colors of the roofs and banners and the clothing of both the wealthy and poor.

" Master Reed! So glad to see you have returned! I take that the wild card was a success?"

As much as Clow wished it, he could not morph his expression to that of cordiality. " No." He said. " I was forced to return due to unforeseen circumstances."

" Oh." Said the sorcerer. " I am very sorry for that. Will you be returning?"

Clow did not reply.

The King of Qin had been gracious. He was not incapable of humanity, after all, and he did all that was his duty as both King and man. He agreed to the Dao Guardian's capture because it would simply be foolish for him to allow others to take the child. He agreed to torture because that was simply how things were done. And he allowed Clow to leave, despite barging into his quarters, and threatening his sorcerers, because he saw in Clow a grieving parent who had no obligations to be courteous or loyal to a sovereign leagues away from where he must still return. He gave the mangled corpse to the magician in an urn, that Clow may burn it as according to European funerals. And he ordered the lowering of the barriers around portals to allow Clow to travel back to Rome.

Had Clow been still sensible of himself and those around him, he might have reflected on many things. On how the woman resembled Kwak greatly, how she too, grieved. How Mian had managed to survive the Qin's attack only to succumb to his own weakness. Mian had been a good friend. Clow would have grieved for him too. The other man had suffered himself, and Clow did not know what tortures the Chinese sorcerer had endured, for his mind to shatter the way it had. He might have even forgiven the other man a little, the poor, pathetic fool, raving, completely out of his mind with grief and terror and rage. Or, he might still hate the man, for taking all that on an innocent child, a child who had, just days ago, been alive and breathing beside him, the soft puffs of air rhythmic against his chest, the little heart beating steadily.

He felt numb. He had failed, utterly, completely, totally. He had not even been able to return the child's sight before he died. Nothing in life seemed capable of making up for that, not his guardians who, also consumed with sorrow, stood beside him, dejected, fantastic creations turned meaningless in his heart. Not the cards, powerful and worthy of pride in all the control they symbolized and the achievements they implied. Not that little girl in the future who had come to him like a dream. What was she, but someone who would just inherit worthless accomplishments? He had lost Syaoran. He did not think he could ever love another child like he had Syaoran.

" Master?" Yue whispered.

Clow looked upon the being he had thought to be, not too long ago, the most beautiful creation on Earth. He wondered what went through Syaoran's mind as he died. The neverending blackness, perhaps, or a flash of rare light and some vision of how his life could have been. All alone, so alone, alone in solitude, darkness, emptiness.

" Let us go home." He said to Yue quietly, coming to himself suddenly for a brief moment. He was tired.

oO

They headed to the manor where the luxuries of familiarity greeted them almost mockingly. Yue and Kero silently went to their room. It was difficult to make them understand that Clow was not a god, that he is not capable of doing everything he wished. But now that they have learned it, they can not easily forget.

Not too long after they unpacked their things, a knock came on the door.

" Master Reed!" Said the witch, Cassandra. " I heard you have returned." She had been wearing a smile at first, but at Clow's appearance, her expression quickly melted to that of worry. " Are you quite alright? The trip was not too rocky, was it?"

" The trip was fine." Clow said wearily, stepping to the side to allow her a path. " Come on in."

She stepped through, her elegant robes trailing behind her as she entered the manor.

" Have you made the Wild Card?" She asked, fully expecting an answer to the affirmative.

Clow sighed. He should probably start expecting such questions for the time being.

" No?" Cassandra blinked in surprise. " How strange. Is it that wily?"

" Perhaps." Clow replied. " I was more deterred by the war."

" The war?" Cassandra blinked. " Ah, the Civil War? With the Qin? Surely you were not entangled with that affair?"

Clow kept his peace and smiled a little bitterly. " Can I pour you some tea?"

With much astonishment, Cassandra could barely accept that offer coherently. " Well you seem to be unharmed. Your guardians?"

" They are well." As well as they could be, at this rate.

" Well then," Cassandra did not feel comfortable prying any further, and Clow secretly thanked her for that. He did not want to elaborate any further.

" Things were changing greatly while you were gone." Cassandra told Clow, changing the topic. " Rome is showing some signs of unrest. Dealings with Carthage have not been so friendly. I fear war may be brewing."

Clow did not want anything more to do with war. His expression clearly said it.

" Some sorcerers are thinking about moving to Athens." Cassandra went on. " I am considering that myself."

" Athens is falling." Clow replied wearily. " Ever since the death of Alexander the Great, Greece as a whole has been losing political and economic power. We go there to seek knowledge, not seek sanctuary."

" Still, it may do well enough to last us past the upcoming war." Cassandra replied. " While Rome is at war with Carthage, Greece will be able to prosper on the side."

Were that Syaoran were alive, to see Rome, to see Greece, the center of wisdom and knowledge! Perhaps some Greek sorcerer might even cure his eyesight when Clow failed. The thought sank Clow into deeper sorrow.

" Clow," Cassandra suddenly said, referring to him by his given name now that they were in private, " Whatever happened over there…I am certain it was not your fault."

Clow heaved a sigh and tried to smile. It ended up being more of a grimace. " Things certainly did not seem that way."

She studied him. " It is war over there." She said, guessing close to the truth. " People die, people suffer. That is the mix of war. You rejoice when those you hate suffer its ends, and you mourn when those you love suffer as well. Love and hate share equal grounds on the battlefield."

Clow rested his head on his hands. " He was so young though." He said quietly, with more composure than he felt. " Perhaps turned eleven. I am not even sure if he knows. The first I saw of him, he had been raped and beaten and terrorized. He was frightened of me and my guardians. And the last I saw of him…"

He had not seen Syaoran. The last he saw was actually when Syaoran had jumped to take control of the situation while Clow had fallen. The sweeping vision of the child holding his own, while the rain, fell softly, like mist at first, before increasing to a downpour. The King had given him the body covered in white silk. It had been washed of blood, he said, and dirt, that the body may burn in its cleanest form, but still, the damage was too great for any mortician to hope to restore. He wondered how many of those poor parents whose children passed away before them felt as he felt. Perhaps many; Ancient Europe was as barbaric as Ancient China, with their practices just as grotesque. Perhaps they too, regarded the remains of their children in both horror and disgust, and suffered the more for it.

Cassandra took his hand. " Wherever the child is," She said, " He is in a better place."

Clow stared at her hand covering his. " I have to bury him still." He said quietly. " He might not be allowed passage to the realm of the dead, if he were not buried."

oO

The flames, strangely, had a sweet scent. It smelled of incense, or something of herbs. It was like Syaoran had reached an enlightenment that had purified his body. The scent was comforting, strangely so, despite its origins, and Clow felt a sense of peace. So Syaoran had become something more than human. Through all the trials of life, Clow supposed this was not the worst ending.

oO

That night, Clow had the strangest dream. He saw many deities gathered around a large council room covered with tapestries and carpets and soft chairs. They were murmuring to each other, all talking excitedly, and he could catch a word or two that sounded like " Child" and " The Daoist" and " Syaoran", but he was not sure. Presently, the doors opened from somewhere behind him, and in walked Hades.

The arrival of Hades was met with some surprise. Most of the time the god tended to remain in his realm with his Queen despite the importance of such council gatherings. The fact that he made this appearance spoke highly of the subject involved. The other gods treated him civilly, though as they were all lords of the dead, they did not show him any more respect than he deserved. Lord Yen, the Chinese God of the Dead, with a no mustache or beard and gleaming eyes, remained seated though all others were standing. He was still looking over files. He was very young, much younger than most people think, for the Daoist religion is new and had few followers yet.

" Where is he?" Hades asked without preamble.

Lord Yen gestured briskly, eyes still on his notes. Hades looked over. The spirit was on the table, on a platter.

" Why is he still mangled?" The Greek God asked.

Lord Yen looked up at last, with exasperation. " If he were not mangled, I would not have called this meeting."

" What on earth did you do to the boy?" Hades bent lower to inspect the corpse, tentatively lifting some bits of skin and flesh and letting it drop. " I thought you people were civillized!"

" We are in the middle of a civil war, and the people are relatively young in this religion." Lord Yen said acerbically. " _I _did nothing to the child, those barbarian mortals did all that was needed, and of course, given that they desecrated the temple and killed all the guardians, I do not have the power to straighten him out."

" Desecrated the temple?" The gods murmured with surprise. Temples were the foundations of power for gods. It was why they take such high offense when any sign of disrespect was shown at the temples, for the gods fed on faith and worship.

" You seem to tolerate that very well." Said Hades.

" Oh indeed." Said Lord Yen. " This is why the Qin Dynasty will only last one generation. Now, will you take him or not?"

" Him?" Cried the other gods, a little incensed. " How is he a better choice? We are just as good!" A loud chorus of the like followed.

" Enough!" Lord Yen shouted. " You are agitating the child."

Though the corpse made no motion, a clear aura of distress had emanated from the body.

" I am asking Hades because he has the most faith." Said Lord Yen. " Or the most terror, as it were. Therefore his Elysian Fields is the best kept out of all of us." This was agreed on by everyone else, though reluctantly.

" I cannot imagine you would want me to take this child." Hades said. " I would be glad to do it, Daoist or not, but if he comes to my realm he would be in my domain and therefore follow my rules."

" For the time being, until he heals." Said the Chinese lord. " Then I want him back."

" You want him back?" Hades blinked. " That will not do. He has to eat, you see, in the Elysian Fields; that is part of the grace that is blessed there, and if he eats anything in my realm, he stays in my realm. For eternity."

" But you see, he is _my _charge. I am asking this as a favor. You know he deserves the best of the best."

" I am flattered." Hades replied with some astonishment. The Chinese were not often this blunt. Lord Yen must be very distressed. " And I really do wish I can help. But you know how it is, running the dead. You cannot be too flexible. If you start being flexible, well, you get more and more so, and presently all the dead spirits are waltzing back to the world of the living, creating havoc. No, if the child eats in my realm, then he has to stay."

" But you cannot expect the child not to eat." Said Lord Yen. " And you cannot expect me to take care of him properly. I have not enough servants or deities at my disposal."

" I can take him!" Cried someone, " I will agree to this."

" Your heaven is like a pig sty. Hardly fit for a child destined to be god." Said one.

" What?" And, angered, the god of death, whichever god that was, began verbally attacking the one who just insulted him.

Hades and Lord Yen ignored this.

" I propose this." Said Hades. " See, I am not willing to be flexible. But if you are, you can give the child back some life, and hand him over to one Clow Reed."

" Clow Reed!" Lord Yen huffed. " He was the one that lost the child in the first place! Not to mention, I cannot give the child back without some sacrifices. The boy will be very much traumatized still, and his life span would shorten by almost three quarters, not to mention he would be extremely weak and will lose all of his magic save his nullifying abilities, as that is inherent in his soul." The two gods looked at the corpse simultaneously, almost comically, at this statement. " Clow would lose him within a week."

" Have some faith in mortals." Hades advised, showing more wisdom than most mortals gave him credit for. " We ask of mortals to have faith in us. In many cases, wo do not return the favor enough. I have strong hopes that this time around, Syaoran will have a better life. And, by the time he dies, you would have restored your halls, and would be well fit to accept him. This is assuming he does not accept duties of a deity."

" But as you say, we cannot be too flexible as lords of the dead. I cannot have him going back to life just because. He has died, truly and utterly."

" You are young." Said Hades. " There will be time yet to remedy flexibility. For those like me, we have a reputation to uphold. You have few followers, and in this case, no one will know."

" Resurrection, eh?" Lord Yen stroked a beard that was not there. " I can do that. But if Clow Reed fails before the child recovers, we are back to the same problem."

" In which case we will think of some other plan." Hades promised. " In the meantime, I vow that I, along with all my siblings and their children, will ensure this child will have the best life has to offer."

Lord Yen looked at Hades and was silent for a long time.


	14. Chapter 14

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 14

Syaoran came to Clow's world quietly, while the sorcerer was asleep. The next morning when Clow awoke, the child was already in his arms, amber eyes open, looking around. He had no magical aura that Clow could sense, his birthmark was gone, and he was clad in white robes that made his complexion look ghastly, but he was breathing, and his heartbeat was steady, and his eyes blinked every so often to moisten the clear cornea. He squinted when the sunlight shone into his eyes, and had enough irritability to look away from the windows.

Clow could hardly believe this miracle. He burst into laughter and hugged Syaoran to him and bathed the child's face with kisses. The guardians, hearing their master's exclamation of joy, bounded into the room to witness this for themselves.

Syaoran submitted to their welcome as well, in eerie silence. He moved, occasionally, to get his face out of Clow's hair, or his collarbone away from Kero's nose, yet overall, he was very sedated and quiet.

At first Clow did not notice, but then, when no response was forthcoming from the child, he studied the boy's face, wondering what was wrong. He waved his thumb across the boy's eyes. Syaoran blinked and turned his head away. Puzzled, Clow took the boy by his shoulders.

" Syaoran?" He called. " Syaoran?"

Syaoran looked at him a little blankly, but the man could tell he had the boy's attention.

Clow studied him, at a loss. Seeing that the man was not speaking anymore, Syaoran turned his attention elsewhere, at the familiar lion that had been one of his constant companions whenever Clow came home late, at Yue that had taken him flying. He knew them only by their auras, however, and when Kero grinned at him hopefully, showing off his sharp, glistening teeth, the child visibly cringed toward Clow in a penetrating flash of fear.

" Shh," Clow soothed, looking at Kero and for the first time in a long while, remembered that Kero's form had been meant to intimidate, " That is Kero, remember? Kero?" He turned to the lion. " How about you revert to your false form for the time being?"

Syaoran had his eyes squeezed tight, burying his face into Clow's nightclothes. Kero, a little hurt by the child's reaction, obeyed. Sensing the flash of aura flicker, Syaoran turned his face toward Kero in curiosity and trepidation, but a small, furry animal greeted him.

" Remember Kero?" Clow asked, mentally gesturing at the now harmless-looking being. " He was one of the guardians. Remember? You remember me right?"

No response; Syaoran merely stared at Kero's false form. But he was no longer tense with fright, and when Kero reached for him, he took Kero with a mix of absent carelessness and gentle consideration he used to when he had been blind. When Yue touched his face, the child did not react either, instead looking around a little sleepily and drooping his eyes at the end.

oO

Remembering the dream, though not the entire exchange, Clow left the guardians back at home the next day and carried Syaoran to the portal that would carry him to Delphi. If someone like Syaoran warranted the Greek King of the Dead to leave his domain, surely Apollo would have something to say. The lines were long, but Clow had the foresight to buy some food before taking his place in line, and Syaoran slept most of the hours as they waited.

The line before them still stretched at the end, but as Clow half expected, they were actually called upon before the others.

" Clow Reed!" Called the Oracle, her eyes dilated from the smoke. " I bid you, come forth!"

Syaoran showed that he was not deaf, by waking up from his nap against Clow's shoulder with a start, and though he had never displayed any magical abilities before since his resurrection, he showed he still retained some of his impressive nullifying abilities by erasing all of the magical smoke that protected the Oracle while she spoke for Apollo, as well as her connection to him.

The Oracle collapsed from the shock, and the crowd gasped. Clow laughed afterwards at the incident, but at the time he had been bewildered. He was exhausted, nervous about this seeming mixed-blessing, and was terrified that perhaps, something he had done in the past, would prevent Apollo from helping him.

Deeply miffed, the god himself appeared before the people. The crowd gasped in surprise and awe, and Clow himself was half-shaken by astonishment, but Syaoran blinked, half-stupidly, at the god, and tried to nullify him as well.

" You are a naughty brat." Said the golden-haired youth. " But I suppose there is naught to be done about that." He extended his arms out.

It seemed like the god wanted to hold the child. Though reluctant, Clow passed the boy over. Syaoran, however, had a tight grip on Clow's collar, and refused to let go.

The Greek God of Truth laughed, his voice deep and melodic. " Easy, Young Warrior, you will come to no harm in my presence." With one arm supporting Syaoran by his legs, the god raised his other hand and touched the boy's forehead gently. Syaoran's grip on Clow relaxed.

" There has been much talk of you." Apollo said to Syaoran, who looked around, completely ignoring the god now. " Though I had hoped we would meet on better terms."

Afraid Syaoran's impropriety might ruin things, and at the moment completely lost as to why the boy did not seem to know courtesy anymore, Clow ventured to ask, " Do you know what is wrong with him?"

" Wrong?" Said the God, extending a hand to tend to his Oracle, who gasped to life. He then left her to the services of the priests. " There is nothing wrong with the child. He has died, and come to life. Such transformations have always been strenuous on souls."

Clow blinked. The answer did not comfort him. " Will he be alright?" He asked.

" That depends on you." Apollo was hardly the considerate father, though he did turn Syaoran's face very gently to look at him in what could be called a brotherly fashion. " He is returned to you, healed to the best of his ability." Clow assumed he meant Lord Yen's ability. " He is whole, he has all his senses, and he is ready to be improved, or deteriorate, as the course might be."

Curious about the curly hair, Syaoran actually grabbed a fistfull. Apollo bore it with some exasperated resignation. " However, he is hardly in a normal mental state. The traumas of his past life haunt him still, and his body may still bear the aftermath of his sufferings. Nor, in the end, would he sing the song as long as others with better mortal destinies." Syaoran began toying with Apollo's hair, watching it spring and curl back every time he tried to straighten a lock.

Apollo was being forthcoming and straightforward; something he almost never was at Delphi, and Clow deeply appreciated this; but he still felt lost. " What am I supposed to do?" He asked. " If he is so frail...how am I to succeed?"

" Hm." Apollo turned to Clow. " The Gods do not teach mortals how to live; and yet they do, still, without guides other than those they carry within their hearts. In times of hardship I speak words of hope, but I never show the way; yet so many still find the right path. With so many places to plant a seed, where does one choose? Any one of them grows a tree. Some are tall, some are wide, some are green, and some fall under human blades, or the wrath of Zeus. Even we cannot tell how long a tree lives, or if it dies, how." The god raised his divine hand and gripped the boy's wrist gently. At the seeming reprimand, Syaoran cringed a little away from Apollo, a flash of dread on his face.

" Come, fearless guardian." Apollo murmured. " You have faced more terrible fiends than I."

He kissed the boy on the forehead. Syaoran dropped into slumber. The god handed Syaoran back to the bewildered sorcerer.

" He loves you dearly." Apollo told Clow.

oO

Syaoran fell sick the next night. He burned a terribly high fever, was extremely feeble and weak, and coughed constantly, a wet cough which lasted so that his chest hurt. The boy was exhausted and fatigued, and Clow spent the entire night tending to him, trying to bring down his dangerously high fever and getting the phlegm out of his lungs. He was grateful that children could burn higher fevers than adults, for the boy was incredibly hot, and nothing seemed to bring the fever down. By dawn, however, it seemed the fever left on his own, but Syaoran slept and his chest rattled. Then came noon, and it was difficult for the boy to eat; he would accept nothing but light broth. In mid-afternoon, his fever had returned. This continued for weeks.

Clow, armed with Apollo's warning, tended to Syaoran with patience. Syaoran was not so complying. The medicine was bitter. He hated being cuddled up in the blankets—they were so hot and sticky from sweat. He felt nauseous and uncomfortable. The child did not understand what was going on. He would break into fits every ten minutes or so, and start trying to nullify everything in the room. Resurrected Syaoran could actually nullify more than magic, and the effort made the child subtly worse and weaker.

Feeling awful for the boy, Clow stayed up as long as Syaoran was up and tried his best to make the boy feel as comfortable as possible. He never snapped at Syaoran, even when, irritated and upset, Syaoran actually nullified one of the Clow Cards. The blessing of simply having the child back with him was too much, and his deep fear; that he should soon lose Syaoran simply because this time he was weaker and more vulnerable, overwhelmed any frustration he could have had.

At long last, Syaoran ran out of energy to nullify more things, and became much more cooperative. At the end he finally became better. The gruggy expression on his face was gone. He looked at things with a bright gleam in his eyes, and seemed curious about everything, but he still never spoke.

As the room was heavy with the illness, Clow opened all the windows and clad Syaoran in warm clothes and wool. He took the child outside and into the main city. The people were busy and have seen many things, and none paid attention to the robed man carrying the funny-looking child. Some of the children found Syaoran intriguing and followed Clow for a few corners, and the horses, imperceptibly, saluted Syaoran with a nod of their heads as he passed. The child himself, seemed to take everything in with a kind of silent wonder.

" Master Reed!" Cried a familiar voice, and Clow turned. It was a cheerful and amiable-looking man, Geminius, a pure-blooded Roman sorcerer who excelled at potions. He had a great sense of humor and a very comforting aura, so Clow was very happy to see him so conveniently.

" Master Geminius!" He greeted, almost as cheerfully.

" I heard you had gone to Delphi." Said the sorcerer. " Who is this?" He asked. " Is he a souvenir you brought from China?"

Clow laughed at the term, and looked upon Syaoran fondly. Syaoran stared at Geminius with a blank look, but he did not seem afraid of him.

" He is more of China's gift to me." Clow replied, taking a moment to place a kiss on Syaoran's cheek. " He was a sorcerer, too."

" A sorcerer?" Geminius frowned. " I sense no aura."

" No." Clow shook his head. " He has lost it now."

" He is certainly handling it well!" Geminius exclaimed with some admiration, and held out his hand to the child. " Hello! I am Aulus Geminius."

Syaoran stared at the hand, then took it, more out of curiosity than as a courtesy, for he felt the palm of the man's hand lightly before turning his head and looking at the rest of the streets.

" Does not talk much eh?" Geminius smiled a little regretfully. " How did he lose his magic? That is heinous, for a child no less."

" He died." Clow said softly. " He was given to me by the gods there, but his magic had been a price he had to pay." Clow turned, wondering what Syaoran was looking at.

Geminius gasped. " Dead! Returned to life by the gods? What child is he, that the gods would do him such a favor?"

Clow only smiled. Syaoran had been staring at a group of nearly naked women, lined up as dancers. For someone who had come from a society where everyone was clad in thick robes, this probably was a little too much of a novelty. Come to think of it, most of the Romans wore attires that were very revealing already. No wonder Syaoran was so distracted.

" What is his name?" Geminius asked, reaching out to smooth the boy's long locks. Clow would need to cut them eventually, for Syaoran to fit in to European society, but not now.

" His name…" Clow looked at Syaoran. He had not come up with a Roman name yet. Or Greek, for that matter. " His name was Syaoran in China. However, I was thinking of renaming him."

" Thaddeus." Geminius said instantly. " Gift of God. Well you are," He grinned at the boy, who had turned his head when he uttered the name. " You do not like it?"

Syaoran did not respond.

" Thaddeus." Clow said quietly. " I like it."

Syaoran turned to Clow. A loose strand of hair fell from one of the buns on his head as his hood fell off.

There was a loud crack of a whip against a horse's flank. At the sound, Syaoran cringed dramatically, body instantly breaking into trembles. He uttered a whimper and his face morphed to that of terror.

Realizing the problem, Clow quickly embraced Syaoran close to him, until the whipping sounds passed and the rolling of wheels faded in the distance.

" Shhh," Clow soothed, " It is alright."

Geminius looked grim. He sensed there was something more to Syaoran's death than Clow had seen fit to reveal.

" Where are you two going?" He asked, his amiability laced with concern.

" Around." Clow replied. " I intend on showing him the marketplace. He needs some new clothes, and we need to be out of the house; he had just been gravely ill for the past two or so weeks."

" I see." Geminius nodded. " Can he walk?"

" Somewhat, I think. He can stand." To demonstrate, Clow lowered Syaoran so the boy's feet touched the ground. Syaoran stood, but held tightly to Clow's hand, looking lost and confused. " He tires easily still, however, and he is light. I do not mind carrying him."

" Hm." Geminius blinked. He ran an invisible spell of Syaoran to diagnose him. Syaoran, though not alarmed, squelched the spell, surprising Geminius.

" What just happened?" He asked Clow.

" He…" Clow paused. " He is a nullifier. He had this talent before."

" A nullifier!" Geminius blinked. " I have never heard of such a thing!"

Clow chuckled. " They exist only in China. It is the Daoist belief, that everything must have balance. What is present must have a Nothing, so to speak, to balance it out."

" That is a powerful force!" Exclaimed the other man. " To negate magic! That is your Wild Card then, I expect?"

Clow started. It had been so long since he had thought about it, truly, that this question caught him by surprise.

" No." He confessed. " I admit, I have not thought of it before. To balance out the cards…" He looked at Syaoran. " To Void them."

" And you have a channel too." Geminius grinned. " Looks like your Thaddeus truly is the Gift of God for you."

Clow smiled, but he picked the boy up again. " I will not pressure him to do it until he is ready, however."

" Even if he never is?" Geminius asked. It was a fear he would rather not point out to Clow, but he felt it was necessary.

" Even if he never is." Clow replied quietly." I had intended he should inherit the cards. He has already foiled my plans."

" Ah, he looks like a strong fellow. Children are hardier than we think." Geminius shook Syaoran's hand warmly. " And once he brings home a sweetheart, he shall start foiling a great many more of your plans."

Clow burst into laughter. Hearing this, Syaoran actually smiled; the first appearance of it since he was resurrected. The boy had no clue what they were laughing at, or, perhaps, he knew but did not fully understand.

Remembering Geminius to be a potions master, Clow asked if there was any way to make the medicines taste better, as he anticipated, due to Syaoran's condition, that the boy will get sick fairly often early on. Geminius promised he would look into it, and booked the next day for Clow to bring Syaoran over to see his own children.

" Hear that?" Clow cooed to Syaoran when the two men separated. " You will meet your first friends here in Europe!"

Syaoran sneezed.


	15. Chapter 15

Guardian of Godhood

Chapter 15

They found Thaddeus odd, and at first, Thaddeus preferred the company of Yue and Kero over the other children. He was much more familiar with them, and was not ready yet to face too many strangers. Thankfully, the children of Geminius were both old enough to understand certain things, and Geminius made sure to tell them to treat Syaoran with care, which they heeded with many a pitiful glance at him.

Clow had wondered before, with Syaoran's eyes so bright and clear, whether the boy actually understood what he was seeing. He certainly seemed to react to his surroundings, but his behavior had that of an instinctual feel, rather than a conscious purpose. It was not until Syaoran saw a mirror that he knew for sure. At first, Syaoran did not react to his image, treating it like any other object in the room. But once he noticed the image mimicked everything he did, he stared at it in earnest.

" What is wrong with him, Papa?" Asked one son. " He has never seen a mirror before?"

Geminius turned to Clow, not understanding either.

" He was blind for years." Clow replied. He knew the instant Syaoran froze. " This is the first time he ever saw his own face in a long time."

He wondered what was going through that young, broken mind. The image in the mirror was something Clow had seen often now, but Syaoran had never seen it before. His amber eyes were large, almost like that of a Caucasian, and his black hair framed his face and shoulders so that he looked very small and vulnerable. The mark on his forehead, of course, was long gone, as were all other scars he bore through the years. There was just the tanned skin, smooth and tender the way a child's skin usually was. Syaoran had a straight nose, small, with a high bridge, and his lips were pale and looked thin due to having just been ill. Though every feature bespoke sickliness, Syaoran was a very handsome child.

" I should have let him see himself before." Clow reprimanded himself. " It simply was not on my mind at the time." He walked over to the bewitched boy and knelt down next to him. " See?" He said to the child. " That is you."

Syaoran reached forward and touched the glass. He traced his dark eyebrows, the shape of his chin. His movements were awkward, like he was trying to reach into the mirror but could not succeed.

Syaoran's hand dropped to his side. He turned away from the vision, almost dismissing it. Clow stepped to the side to give him room.

" Is he alright?" Geminius asked.

Clow was not sure. The boy's face looked stoic enough. It felt like he had pasted a mask on, rather than simply feeling nothing as he had done before. He passed Clow, and the man reached out to touch his shoulder. Syaoran went on, hurrying to Yue.

" What exactly happened to him?" Geminius asked, the feelings of a father overwhelming prior courteous restraint.

Clow was quiet for a while. " He was tortured." He replied. " And crushed to death."

" Tortured a child?" Geminius frowned. He could readily believe men to be capable of it, but—" What for?" He asked. " He is a child. What could he offer them?"

" Information." Clow replied. There was no need to reveal everything to Geminius.

The man stared at him in surprise, then conceded that, perhaps, this was not so far-fetched. The whereabouts of his parents, or a brother or sister—those were all things one could torture out of a child.

" He gave them nothing." Despite himself, Clow smiled. " He is the bravest, strongest person I have ever known."

" How old is he?"

" Perhaps ten, maybe eleven." Clow replied.

" I can run a spell if you promise he would not nullify it again." Geminius offered.

Syaoran did not nullify it this time. He looked once at Clow, then, seeing that Clow did not seem to mind, seemed curious himself, what it would do. Geminius waved his hand over the boy again.

" Hm. It says he is about three weeks old." Geminius looked at Clow. " I never doubted you, but if I did, this proves that he had been resurrected. Or at least, he was born into the world in a very bizarre fashion."

Well, thought Clow, if Syaoran's body has truly decided to start over, then perhaps they could work from the beginning. " So no birth date is forthcoming?"

" Not to my spell." Said Geminius. " Feel free to name him any particular age you want. However, there is something very funny about his condition." There was a frown on his face, which made Clow feel a little worried.

" Did the Oracle tell you anything?" The man asked, instead of elaborating.

" The Oracle was nullified." Clow replied. He would have grinned if he had not felt so apprehensive at the moment. " Apollo was forced to come down himself. Although, I suppose he wanted to anyway."

" You saw Apollo."

" Yes."

Geminius turned to the child. " That," He laughed a little uncomfortably, " That has got to be the most interesting development this year. I wonder why the news did not reach us sooner."

" Perhaps it will in time." Said Clow. " As far as I could tell, I was the only sorcerer there, and news travel slowly amongst mortals."

" My goodness." Geminius turned to Syaoran. " This is incredibly odd then. His lifespan, according to the read, is about twenty-five years at maximum. This is counting from today, which means that if he is actually eleven years old, he would only live until he is thirty-six."

" What?" Clow exclaimed, but even as he spoke, the words of the gods repeated in his mind. _His life span would shorten by almost three quarters—_it was what Lord Yen had said to Hades. And Apollo had said, _Nor, in the end, would he sing the song as long as others with better mortal destinies._

" The price." Clow murmured. " The price was dear, to resurrect one." Not only had Syaoran lost his magic; he had lost his lifespan. What Clow would give, however, if Syaoran had traded his nullifying abilities for some extra years. However, that, perhaps, was impossible.

" You know what they say." Geminius comforted Clow. " It is how you live a life—now how long."

Syaoran suddenly raised his arms. He wanted a hug. Clow obliged.

oO

" I had wanted him to have the cards."

Despite knowing better, Clow despaired. He had not anticipated the number of strings that came attached to Syaoran's resurrection.

" I wanted him to have the cards, to have Kero and Yue by his side; everything, really, that I have worked for."

" We tend to hope such things." Cassandra replied, looking at Thaddeus napping in Yue's arms. " We hope to give our children the world, better, brighter than we have seen it. See them become better, brighter beings than ourselves. But it is not always our call."

" He has suffered so much." Clow sighed. " I wanted…I wanted this time around to be better."

" He seems fine." Said Cassandra. " Quiet, but healing. No doubt, he is healing. He regards this place with so much faith and trust."

" But he is weak. He cannot play. He is too exhausted."

" His energy will come in time, I think." Said the sorceress. " This is no worse than necromancy."

" True." Clow replied. " But I am afraid."

" Of what?"

" I lost him once, already." Clow turned to Cassandra. " And with the war on Carthage looming,"

" I will help you." Said Cassandra. " As will Geminius. And no doubt, the great Gods of Olympus are also on your side. Apollo himself, came to Delphi to hold this child. Perhaps he left some gifts behind."

" If they stick." Said Clow. " Syao—Thaddeus," He had to get used to that, " Has a tendency to nullify what he does not understand."

" Nullifiers." Cassandra grinned. " I am sure you know, Clow, about them."

" What do you mean?" Clow asked, curious.

Kero, who was watching Thaddeus take a nap, became very bored, and decided to wake the child up. The boy woke easily, but Kero growled playfully at him, inviting him to a game. Thaddeus ignored him, and Kero pounced on the boy, despite Yue's protestations. This seemed harmless enough though; Thaddeus only squeaked and slapped at the guardian's face.

" Kero," Clow called out anyway, " Stop pestering Thaddeus and let him rest."

" He does nothing but sleep!" Kero whined.

" So would—" Clow wanted to say, ' So would you', but he did not want to entertain the idea of Kero going through what Syaoran did. " Just leave him be, Kero."

Kero groaned in annoyance.

Cassandra laughed at this amusing display.

" In any case," Clow turned back to Cassandra, " What is this about Nullifiers?"

" What?" She blinked. " Oh. I was just saying. They do not like outside magic, from what I heard. It is very interesting; I thought they died out long ago."

" Oh?" Clow blinked. " I actually know fairly little of Nullifiers. What do you know about them?"

" Only that they come from the East." She replied. " If your son is not the only one there are very few others."

" That much I could glean, I suppose." Clow glanced over at Kero, who was now licking at the boy's cheek. Thaddeus continued ignoring him.

" It is a rare ability." Cassandra continued. " Why not make it your wild card?"

" I may." Clow looked over at Thaddeus, who seemed to stare back at him. He rose from his seat wordlessly and went over to the child.

" It was why you were special, hm?" He said to the silent Thaddeus. " Why they chose you."

As usual, Thaddeus did not respond, but he did decide suddenly that he wanted to go with Clow instead of being constantly pestered by Kero. He wrapped his arms around the older man's neck in a silent request to be held. Clow complied.

" If only he could have used them."

Cassandra smiled at him. " Ah. Well. Nullifying is enough, I would wager. Did you know, they say an ancient Nullifier once, long long ago, created pills of immortality? This was in China, I believe. As nullifiers are so unbelievably rare, the art of making such pills was lost. It is only known that a Nullifier alone can make such pills."

Clow almost started, but caught himself. A lot of things are making sense now. " Is that so? That is very interesting."

" It is. Perhaps one day your little one will make pills of immortality, although I doubt the gods would be too happy with that."

" Indeed." He placed a kiss on Syaoran's head.

" He is coming along well." Cassandra broke off her earlier tangent. " I can see it in his eyes."

Clow looked at the boy. He just saw a broken child, trying to heal. His expression must have said so, for Cassandra then said, " He loves you dearly, and you love him. That alone, I think would be more than enough."

Thaddeus suddenly laughed. Clow could not hide his surprise this time. The child's laughter rang, pure and untainted after such a long period of silence and melancholy. He glanced down to see what the boy was laughing at. It was merely Kero, scratching his ear, looking somewhat comical doing it. Thaddeus had stopped laughing by that point, already disinterested, but Clow still grinned, and kissed the boy's soft cheek.

Yes, he could see now. Slowly but surely, Syaoran was coming back to him.

oO

Thaddeus's first words were a mix of whichever particular Chinese language it was that he spoke as Syaoran, and Latin. He called Clow " Pater". Clow was not certain where Thaddeus learned the words; it was probably from listening to Gemini's children.

He had been mumbling a series of words in nonsensical order, very much like a toddler mumbling to hear its own voice. Kero and Yue were very excited by this development.

" He's talking again!" Yue told Clow. " He said my name!"

" Yue." Thaddeus repeated, though seemingly unaware of its importance.

Clow grinned, crouching down to where Thaddeus sat. " Thaddeus."

" Pater."

Syaoran had called him father many times before, but somehow this one time touched Clow more than all the others, so much so that he felt like he was stabbed. He bowed his head and took the child's small hands. They were tender to the touch, unlike Syaoran's. Thaddeus's body was new.

" Do you want to go outside?" He asked, raising his head. " How about we go outside?"

" Bubbles." Thaddeus replied, clearly not paying attention at all, but Clow picked him up anyway, and Thaddeus did not complain.

Once outside, it seemed Thaddeus became more coherent. He fell silent for a while, glancing at the tiny greens that were sprouting in the new spring. Robins have already arrived, picking at the ground. The child extended his hand to one, which hopped over as if expecting food. Clow almost thought the bird would fly up to his hand, but the bird did not.

" Pills and seeds." Thaddeus said.

Clow glanced at him.

Thaddeus buried his head into Clow's shoulder and went to sleep.

Seeing this, Clow took him back inside. " No more pills." He said to the child. " No more pills."

" No more pills." Thaddeus repeated sleepily.

" No more pills." Clow promised. " They are no longer your responsibility. Live free of them."

" No more pills."

" No more pills." Clow promised again.

" Mmm." Thaddeus replied, voice soft. " Sakura."


	16. Epilogue

Guardian of Godhood

Epilogue

Thaddeus grew to be an intelligent young man. Clow tutored him personally in his studies, and Thaddeus became a well-educated, well-respected individual among both magical and non-magical circles. As the gods promised, he had no more magical abilities, but his nullifying powers were retained, though they drain him. He grew tall, as tall as his Caucasian friends, slim, with handsome, features, so that all the Roman damsels were infatuated with him. He remained weak, however, and fell ill often, something Clow lamented about, but accepted. The price of life was worth it.

He was very close to Clow and the guardians. Though war loomed, the Reed household was serene and content. They were a family, with its ups and downs—Thaddeus would occasionally be short-tempered during his adolescence, but he loved Clow dearly and Clow loved him. Thaddeus and the guardians were like siblings, with Yue and Kero very protective of Thaddeus. Clow thought, wistfully, that Thaddeus would have made a great Card Master, if only Fate had allowed it.

But Thaddeus did contribute to the cards. At the age of fifteen, he complained to his father that the cards were incomplete. Clow explained he was going to make the Wild Card the Nothing Card, but he needed nullifying power, to which Thaddeus replied, " Well? What are you waiting for? I will help."

And so Thaddeus helped create The Nothing.

At the age of seventeen, Thaddeus requested Clow take him to visit China. When asked why, he said that there was someone waiting for him there. Unsure if this was some plan of the gods, Clow went to Delphi, where the Oracle told him Thaddeus knows his destiny and his fate.

Once they went to China, Clow was struck with vivid memories of all that had transpired during his time there, but Thaddeus seemed unaffected. He walked through the new Qin capital where the Emperor of Qin had just established himself as ruler of all the lands. There, Thaddeus headed toward a property of private land with a determination that mystified Clow. After so long in Europe, there was no way Thaddeus could know where anyone lived—

But Thaddeus knew, somehow. The servants that opened the gates for him seemed to expect him. They allowed both him and Clow to enter, and led the two, without questions, to the main house, where upon her deathbed was Lady Kwak.

" You look very different from the girl you killed." Thaddeus declared. " What kind of spell did you use?"

Lady Kwak was a beautiful woman, but she now looked wrinkled and old, her hair graying at the roots and her pallor sickly. She coughed and smiled. " Why did I know you would say that?"

" You knew I was coming." Thaddeus pointed out. " It was not nice of you to kill that girl just to spy on me."

" No." Lady Kwak replied. " I was not a nice person."

" No." Thaddeus took her hand anyway. " But it was her time, in its own way."

It was not until then that Clow remembered, how Lady Kwak had pretended to be a village girl, who had lived in the village for years, to spy on Clow and Syaoran.

" It was a convincing spell." Kwak told him. " To convince the villagers. I would teach it to you."

" I probably know it already." Thaddeus said mysteriously.

Kwak grinned. " You probably do." She broke into coughs. Silence fell, except for her coughing, until it subsided.

" I am glad you are here." She said to Thaddeus. " I was so sure…"

Thaddeus kissed her hand. " I am glad I could come."

She died two hours later.

Thaddeus and Clow remained until the funeral, between which Thaddeus fell in love with a girl named Hua Meiling. An outspoken, intelligent, free-spirited maiden with some knowledge of magic, she seemed quite the opposite of the soft-spoken, reserved Thaddeus, but the two seemed to complement each other perfectly. She was a very kind-hearted girl, generous nearly to a fault and empathetic of others, to the point where she cared more about Thaddeus than he cared about himself, despite not even knowing him very well. Clow watched as the love blossomed between them and tried to quiet Yue and Kero's jealous envy. Unlike Clow, Thaddeus was destined to marry.

Thaddeus brought his new bride to Rome, away from the politics of the Qin Empire and its Great Northern Wall. The young couple lived with Clow and the guardians, where the guardians eventually learned to tolerate Meiling's presence.

Young Anthony Reed was born when Thaddeus was twenty-one. He had his father's eyes and features. The child's first week in life was celebrated with so many friends that the Reed household was filled to capacity. Everyone was anxious to meet the new member of the Reed family. Thaddeus's best friends joked that they must remember all the embarrassing stories about Thaddeus in order to tell his son in the future. Gemini and Cassandra congratulated Clow on his new grandson, saying such things are what one lives for.

Two years later, Thaddeus was twenty-three. He fell gravely ill. He held Anthony in his arms all through his last hours. He was sorry that he had to go. He asked Clow to take good care of Meiling and his young son, as he himself cannot.

Meiling promised she would always honor him.

Thaddeus then turned to the guardians and told them he loved them dearly. He asked Clow to make them forget his past name, 'Syaoran', and always remember him just as Clow's son. When asked why, he only smiled.

Then he told Clow that Clow was his father in all but blood. He promised Clow that one day he will repay Clow for his kindness. Clow told him he already has, to which Thaddeus replied, there was still one thing that needs to be done, but it will come in time.

Still, despite the insinuation that they will meet again, he broke down weeping in his room after Thaddeus finally left.

oO

When Clow died, Yue and Kero locked themselves away into the Clow Book to wait for their new master. Neither remembered that once upon a time, all of them had thought Syaoran would be that next master. They did not remember any mentioning of a little girl who came to Clow in a vision—the guardians had been young and immature, and as Thaddeus grew older, they too, grew older, and lost many of their young memories in favor of new ones. The Nothing Card neither knew about; Clow secured it in the east, because that was where Thaddeus had come from, and that was where, he hoped, it would remain, if only to honor the Dao Guardian.

War erupted in Europe, and Anthony Reed withdrew to the southern borders of what would one day be China. As with Clow, the interpretation spells in the East translated "Reed" to "Li". He eventually married and sired children, and thus fathered what would one day be the powerful Li Clan. Though none were the wiser, the Li Clan was, in fact, not of Clow's line, but of his adopted son, Thaddeus Reed. The magic they inherited was also not Clow's magic, but Syaoran's magic, reinstated in Anthony even as they were taken away from Thaddeus. The nullifying power, however, died with Thaddeus—that was one of the exchanges amongst the realm of the dead. The Li Clan possess no nullifiers, and never will.

And as for the famous Li Syaoran, husband of the Card Mistress who was the heiress of the Clow Cards?

Nothing is a coincidence, not in the realm of magic. That he was named after that unknown ancestor of the Li Clan was not by chance. However, the only clues as to the reason are only known to the deities in Heaven, who have watched the world grow and age and change through the years. They punished great evil with prolonged curses, that take their time beginning and ending. For acts of true compassion and love, their blessing also comes in its due time, mayhap, thousands of years later, when a young girl is exposed to the dangers of the magical world, and is in need of a guardian who can better understand her—

oO

Hades, instead of directing Clow to either Tartarus or the Elysian Fields, decided to escort Clow himself to someplace else entirely. The god of death refused to answer where. But it soon became obvious, when, passing through a gate, they arrived in front of a huge palace, where, high up on the steps, the Jade Emperor was waiting.

Clow was floored.

" Hello!" Said the Jade Emperor, more good-naturedly than he was ever depicted in myth. " Hades! I am glad you could drop by!"

" What have you been doing with yourself?" Hades greeted. " I am sorry about Lord Yuan."

Yuan-Shi-Tian-Zong was the patriarch of all Daoist deities before the Jade Emperor would take his place. Apparently, the exchange of power had just occurred!

" He is doing well." Replied the Jade Emperor. " He was tired of all the paperwork."

" I imagine so. You Chinese work too hard."

" Ah well," the Jade Emperor gestured, " Would you like some tea?"

" Oh, of course I cannot resist your tea," Hades laughed, " But this time I must refuse."

" Come, it will be no trouble."

" No. I must head back." Hades smiled, though he remained where he was instead of leaving.

" Ah well." The newly-crowned Jade Emperor then turned to Clow. " You have gotten so old." He grinned with good humor.

Clow felt broken.

" What?" The Emperor exclaimed, " Not glad to see me?"

" Of course I am glad to see you!" Clow cried. The Emperor extended his arms and Clow went up to him and the two men hugged.

" You brat." Clow scolded, at first not entirely accepting of his son's new status, even as he said, " You could have told me you were going to be Emperor of China."

" Chinese deities." The Jade Emperor corrected. " And how was I to know? All I knew was I was coming here, that was all."

" Oh you knew more than that." Clow glared at him.

" That is true." His Highness conceded. " But it would not do to reveal too much to mortals." He leaned over. " Come, Hades!"

" No." Hades smiled, this time stepping back. " I must get going. Goodbye for now, Syaoran."

The Jade Emperor took Clow's hands warmly. " How is Anthony?"

" Doing well." Clow replied, still feeling broken. " But you know that already."

" True." The Jade Emperor replied.

" How?" Clow asked softly. " How are you…"

" This?" His son looked down at his regal robes. " I was the one that created the pills. By accident. I was Master Yuan's disciple, the creator of the Universe himself. And though he was impressed that I was able to do it, he was not so impressed that I actually did it. Still, since I did not actually mean to do it, I was charged with protecting the pills for a time until I learn to undo what I did."

" But you never destroyed the pills."

" I did not have to." His Highness replied. " Things went wrong. Mortals went wrong. As Syaoran I desperately tried to protect the location of the pills. I succeeded despite odds, odds that should not have occurred. The indecency of men will suffer the wrath of the gods, but it mattered not, for I succeeded. The pills can now never be found. They were destroyed, unknowingly, by war."

Clow had so many questions, but he kept silent. He was not sure how to ask them.

" I proved myself faithful." The Jade Emperor continued. " According to Master Yuan, a true leader must think for others before himself. I have apparently shown that I do." Then he scowled. " I am kind of nervous though. Everyone here treats me like a child."

Clow stared at the young, twenty-three-year-old face. " You need to grow a beard."

The Jade Emperor stared back. " That is actually not a bad idea. I shall!" He then gestured inside the palace. " Well, Pater? Shall we go in? There is much to talk about."

Clow smiled, a watery smile. He was still too bewildered. His son was the Jade Emperor himself—he could never, in his wildest dreams…

" Why did you not visit me?" He asked sadly. " At all?"

" Immortals among mortal men?" The Jade Emperor's eyes were warm though, so warm. No matter the crown on his head, this was truly his son. " We both needed to move on. I was granted life again, because the gods hoped you had the means of helping me heal. The realms of the dead would not be capable of truly healing me, not in the state they were in. And you did—you healed me. You gave me a gift even gods treasure dearly."

" But then you left." Clow looked away.

" It was my time." Said His Highness. " Pater, do not grieve now. You are here, and I am here. We have several thousand years."

" Several thousand years?"

" Well, it is not my fault that is so short. You will be reincarnated." The Emperor laughed. " And I cannot stop that. That is the normal cycle of things. In fact, I believe you will be split in two—one half to take care of your heir, and the other half to train her. That cannot be pleasant, but it seems it must be done. Ah well, if you are hurt at all, or not, afterwards you come back, so perhaps I should not say _only _several thousand years."

Clow blinked.

" And of course, because you have grown old and senile," The Jade Emperor smiled, friendly-eyes glittering; he was teasing Clow, " I shall have to go down myself, for a few years, to help you out and meet your heir personally. But we shan't meet often during that time."

" You will go down yourself?" Clow asked in surprise.

" Not all of me." The Jade Emperor grinned. " Part of me, yes. If I went down completely Heaven would fall into chaos! Good heavens!" He laughed. " But we have been standing out here for a while, Pater, and I am certain any questions you have can be discussed inside."

" Wait—" Clow took the Emperor's hand. The hand felt familiar, but there were rings on the fingers that were not there before—rings marking his new status. Clow momentarily wondered if he was too out of place, but the Emperor waited patiently, so understanding. " So…I will stay here with you?" Stay with Syaoran, instead of in the Realm of Hades?

" Do you want to?" His son returned.

His son…his son wanted him.

" Old man," The Jade Emperor grinned, " I can send you back. Though you would leave me heartbroken."

He was going to stay with Syaoran. He was going to stay with Syaoran, for eternity, or at least until he was reincarnated, and perhaps even afterwards he would still remain with his son.

He must have looked like he was about to burst into tears, for the Jade Emperor said quickly, " Come, Pater, let us go inside. I have humored your need for information out here too long, it seems; you are overwhelmed. We will have tea, yes? And I will tell you everything you wish in time. Only do come inside. There is a draft here, even in Heaven, and the warmth of the palace will do you good. You have but just died, and just arrived."

Clow nodded, speechless, and let His Highness lead him up the steps. There was a great deal to talk about.

But then, he realized, they had time. All the time in the world.


End file.
